Golden Flames
by Steal My Soul 7767
Summary: See profile. Sasuke's betrayed everybody but Naruto hasn't given up on him. But could he find it in himself to do something that could kill them both to save Sasuke's soul? Yaoi later on, NaruSasu, others decided later. Roughly written.
1. Chapter 1

Yo! Happy Halloween! I'm introducing my brand-new fic! It's definately going to get rough, so those with a light whatever it is beware! Muhahaha!

I'm going to get the whole rambling out now to save time later. Golden Flames is still being completed, it's unbeta-ed and completely raw. Some chapters will be harder to understand or read, but I'm experimenting with a new style and this fic matched perfectly. The chapters are short, but lacking any structure. Sentences were meant to be fragments and run-ons. Don't worry if things are fuzzy, just ask and I can explain.

This will have yaoi way, way, WAAAAY later on. It'll be NaruSasu if you please. Nothing super-explicit but close enough. If you don't swing that way then fine cause you can probably read most of it without touching any sore spots. (Gotta say though, flame me and I'll devour you. As in, eat your soul devour!)

I'm getting rid of characters I can't write well by either knocking them off early, barely adding them in or omitting them completely (like Sai, sorry but I can't write the guy) and technically it's an AU. I took the parts of Naruto I could work with and morphed it. I wanted some characters, like the certain Snake Summons, to have more depth.

I am certifiaibly insane so please, fell free to review and tell me to stop writing. I will make note of your opinion but the fic will still go up as planned. (It makes me warm and fuzzy to receive flames) You probably want to read the fic, so I'm going to shut up. (Don't own Naruto or anything affiliated with Naruto)!

Golden Flames

I. Yellow Eyes Watch The Outcome

Slitted eyes focused on the movements faster than a mere human could interpret. The Sannin was nothing compared to the raven in speed.

The delicate steel blades caressed one another in hard brutal strikes. The footing was lost as the elder was backed into the dead medic nin. A split second was all it took to pierce the elder's chest and force the wound to remain open.

His eyes were wide. He shifted his body and quietly glided closer to the scene. He remained back, knowing as soon as red eyes looked up at him that he wanted no part in this slaughter. So beautifully, the blood ran between the two, pooling at their feet. The yukata was ruined. He would have to replace it.

Sickly yellow eyes were narrow in hatred, blood gushing from his chest and mouth more as he moved. Arms that were still baring the ruin of the Sandaime's last jutsu reached forward to pull the blade from his chest. They were trembling with the effort to raise the small distance.

Pale hands stopped them, ripping the blade out themselves. It clattered to the ground when released and the pale scared hands of the younger gripped the wrists and forced them to the wall.

"Loyal to no one, are you, Sasuke-kun?" It whispered. Chest rose rapidly, fighting for breath; lungs were giving out now. Kabuto was dead at his feet and there was no other to offer help. Only this raven and the hungry yellow eyes he had once had the loyalty of.

There was no answer. There was nothing but breathing. He took satisfaction that the raven was near the edge himself. But that was short-lived. He would not be the one to walk away from this battle. His search for immortality was destroyed at the hands of his best weapon.

Hands trailed up to the arms and then to the neck. They tightened, stopping the small breath before it ever made it to his lungs. They loosened in the next instant.

Hatred and fury blazed in eyes not yet glassed over in pain. Whispers from the back of his mind, the very last purity in his soul, spoke volumes. If he died by any hand then the best choice was the raven. This was ignored as he remembered his failsafe. If he died then he would rip the raven's dreams from him as well.

The raven leaned in, cold hands on cold skin, and he tauntingly bared his throat to the Sannin.

He breathed the wind and sweat scent on the Uchiha. His long tongue pressed against the white throat, feeling the raven tense unintentionally. Memories of inflicting the mark surfaced and he grinned even more maliciously. What was the raven's dream? To kill his brother. If his dreams would die on this battlefield, then so would the raven's.

He pulled the raven closer. He pulled his tongue away and pressed his mouth next to the raven's ear.

"There is no winner here, Sasuke-kun." He whispered, taking his secret to the afterlife with him. Eyes finally glazed over and the body slumped forward. He fell to the ground, covering the silver-haired medic nin, mixing their dry and drying blood.

Scales sliding over ground. Thick coils wrapping destroyed flesh. Thin pink tongue wiping away a red bloody furrow. Soft hisses and harsh breaths.

Manda took the weight as the boy passed out. His caster was dead and his new master and caster was dying. There was only one other alliance that the Serpent King possessed that would save the raven's body. He cast out and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

The two came back into being outside a cave. Dark purple eyes looked up into brilliant yellow. They fell to the body nestled in the dangerous wrappings. A single glance from the purple-eyed man and Manda entered the cave.

There were no words spoken. None were needed when dealing with Shinkan the Healer. Shinkan the Caster Sage. The body was passed to the rough ground and wizened hands began to remove tattered clothing. Yellow eyes watched. They observed. They never missed anything.

Along alabaster skin black flames began to spiral outwards. They burned red and then remained black. Yellow eyes were watching.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo! Thanks, take a left, for alerting my story and to the thirty one people who've read it so far. Don't worry. Even if no one reads it, it's still going up as planned. I don't own Naruto and this is technically an AU. Love to everyone!

-II. Crimson, Black and White

Purple eyes lifted from their study to meet blackened steel. There was a moment of hesitation before they slid past and up to yellow slits.

"Manda….where?" So low. Wrought with pain and masked fear. Marked with delirium. His size was smaller now and he curled his body around the raven but avoiding the places Shinkan was working.

"A healer. Not a medic. Not an ally. Not an enemy. A neutral in the division of the caster and the casted." The voice was tilting in pitches, trying to find a proper tone, but managing none.

"…Why….?" More black flames and both the Serpent and the Sage froze. Ribbons like black tongues lapped up flawless skin. They traced muscles and bone. Already they were spread like a net around the left shoulder and upper arm.

"The curse seal is activating and fluctuating." He whispered back. He slid his head so it rested in inky locks still matted with blood and sweat.

A slight nod and then gnarled fingers began to repair tender skin. Slowly patching threads of muscles, shards of bones and blood systems. No noise made from his breathing, no indication of life, except for the movement and intelligent purple eyes.

Ebony was highlighted with red as eyes slid closed. There was too much pain. Slow breathing, sweating, bleeding, headaches and nausea. They became his constant companions. Sleep was an elusive specter. Like the yellow and blue that was haunting his dreamless nightmares. The thick smells of wood, rain and musk that lured his thoughts away from healing.

Shinkan was speaking now. Not in words, never in words, but in hand signs and gestures. The raven was no longer conscious, slipping between nightmares and dreams. He spoke to the Serpent. He spoke of poison. Of soul-devouring madness. Of lifetimes shortened to years. Of a candle flame extinguishing as he spoke. He told the Serpent King a long story of hopelessness. There was no victor in the Battle of Otogakure.

"…water…" But he was not thirsty. He craved nothing but air. Painlessness. Sanity. It was all falling from his hands. Like water dripping slowly from his cupped palms. Like someone struck them and spilled everything.

Outside the cave, it began to rain. And inside, the Serpent shed tears for a creature that would be destroyed slowly when it opened its eyes again.

Red eyes opened. Three comas were in constant motion. The pain was an annoying twinge that could be ignored. His sanity lost in the memories of rainy days, icy bridges, thundering waterfalls and beautiful endless blue.

He pressed the thick purple cord into the Caster Sage's hands. He had no use of it now and he offered a temporary holding for repayment. Shinkan nodded and vanished into the mouth of the cavern.

Red eyes met yellow. One single look and the two began. They were both aware of the time left. Brilliant green filled the landscape. Among the trees, memories plagued each step. Among the silences, voices rebounded.

The thick cloth fell from the body briefly and tattooed along porcelain skin were black flames. Already they spread over the entire left side of the body. A hand tugged and skin was covered. Black and white disappeared into the shadows.

Orange-red fur darted after the shadow figures before returning from the hunt, proudly wearing a bandage on his foreleg. White touched tail waved in parting and the vulpine streak of red was swallowed into the forest. There was no regret in the loss of cloth. Only a pale wrist bared for the world to see.

Three months had passed. Now only twelve remained. Now there was only a year left of this servitude. A single flame burned red then died black, a single fraction moved forward into virgin snow. Red eyes masked the pain.


	3. Chapter 3

Yo! From a measly 31 to 111! On our way! Golden Flames is raw, unedited, and a bit fast-paced. It's not mine and will never be. Be nice and give my my first review! First reviewer gets Naru-plushie!

III. Rumors of Black and Red

"Reports were confirmed. There was a sighting of Uchiha Itachi two days ago at this village. This is right along the trail that was predicted. I am still in the dark as to how that stupid prediction worked."

You and me both, Tsunade-baa-chan. He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. It was the route he would have taken to be honest. It caught barely any attention and still hit each and every major ramen restaurant in the path. Who knew Itachi had a soft spot for ramen? Maybe the man had cracked now that he was one of the only remaining Akatsuki.

"I'm sending you, Sakura, Neji and Kakashi as team one. Team two is Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Ino. I don't want any screw ups like last time. Is that understood, brat? You cannot just charge in and make up the plan as you go."

"But Tsunade-baa-chan! Shika was there! And I was the only one with any major wounds." He whined, crossing his arms and pouting. Blue eyes were winking with humor though.

"Shut up, brat and don't call me that!" Ah, that was better. "Listen, you can't go out sacrificing yourself simply because you regenerate quickly. You can't just rely on Kyuubi's power brat. Do you hear me, brat?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't jump in front to save someone's life that wouldn't have been in danger in the first place until you had to go mess things up. Got it." There were no memories of instances where someone else took his blows. No thoughts of scarred but kind faces crying for him. No thoughts of senbon needles piercing pale skin before him. No thoughts of a selfless sacrifice for the one who is precious to you. No graveyards marked in honor.

She gave him a fond smile before he vanished completely. The blonde was grown up now. The jounin waved with his trademark foxy grin before slipping through the tower. All six foot plus of tanned, hyperactive energy ran out to inform the assembled.

He paused before the abandoned street, looking down to the weathered and decrepit housing. There were no more people that lived in this place. But to abandon it would be abandoning hope. And three months ago, Sound had been destroyed. At the hands of the missing himself. There was still a chance.

He'd just have to go weasel-hunting.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Guess what!"

Leaving Konoha had never been exciting. Not even the first time he'd been away on a mission compared. It was the first time he left without looking back. It was the first time he had left that he never once thought about those remaining behind. Black abyss was dominating his thoughts.

Land of Waves. Oddly enough, this entire trip had been similar to his first out of country mission. Minus the guarding, the water nin and a sword-wielding psychopath.

"Hey! Look! About time! The Great Naruto Bridge!" He stood, hands on his hips and a large vulpine grin plastered over his face. Kakashi simply shook his head, walking across the familiar bridge, Sakura laughing softly before following. The others merely raised a brow and pondered how the hell someone could name a bridge after the blonde idiot before them.

"It's the Land of Heroes! Of course there's a bridge named after me here!" He stuck his tongue out at the snide but friendly comment Neji tossed at him. He turned back around, a thoughtful, remembering glance on his face. "Hey…Kakashi-sensei? Could we stop by their graves before we leave?"

Kakashi nodded only after a brief pause. Sakura suggested flowers to put on the grave and a visit to Inari. He would be sixteen this year after all. He smiled and laughed, remembering when the kid was still young and innocent. He threw his arms back, crossed behind his head. Shikamaru asked about the kid. He didn't ask about the graves. It was filed away in the mission report after all.

"Now I know this has to be fate." The kid murmured, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You guys are here too…"

"Too? What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, eyes sharp over the top of his book. The kid shook his head and pointed off towards the graves. He shifted the bouquet of flowers in his arms.

"The other one was here too. I can't believe he was right." He muttered, eyes still wide with shock. Naruto's blue were serious. Hope faint but confusion also strong.

"Who was here, Inari?" The kid opened his mouth but the old man slapped a hand over his mouth.

"The dark one with the attitude. He stayed at the grave site religiously for one week before leaving. Inari's been taking flowers every week as he requested, using the money he left behind."

"You mean…Sasuke was here?" It was whispered. All it took was a nod of confirmation and Team Seven was gone. The missing Uchiha took definite priority over the hunt of weasels.

The grave looked the same as it had all those years ago. Zabuza's Zanbatou, a gleaming monument to a rogue nin and his young companion. Haku's ties and cracked mask placed around his own marker.

The residue of thick chakra was still dominate in the air. There was nothing that signified any other hint of the raven, though. Naruto let his enhanced senses take in the scent, recognizing the darkly spiced smell. The curse seal had been in control here.

He turned to look at Inari as the kid led the others to the grave site.

"When you saw him, did he have black markings over his body?" Kakashi and Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the blunt question but understanding began to dawn immediately. This foul, evil residue was obviously the byproduct of the Heaven's Seal.

Inari divided the flowers and placed them on the graves, nodding while doing so. "He did. He was trying to hide them but I saw. His eyes were red and black." The kid barely suppressed the shiver he felt. "But there was something wrong with him. He had this snake with him and it wouldn't let anyone close."

"Snake?"

"One of Orochimaru's Summons I believe." Kakashi informed. His eyes were drifting almost lazily around the clearing, trying to take in the area. "Did you or anyone else speak to him with anger or hatred? Did he come here with the markings or did they appear as he stayed?"

Inari stared off, eyes reverted in deep thought. "They were already there. And there was this awful feeling around him. Like if I said the wrong thing, I would die."


	4. Chapter 4

Yo! Chapter Four is up. Thanks for the hits and reviews, I'm over two hundered! Send me reviews, I could use any and all criticism! I don't own Naruto but I do own this plot line. Hit me if any of this sounds familiar to anything you've read before! Just in Case!

IV. Splashes of Color, Black Eats All

Straining breath. Knees hit the ground. Viper sized body curled around and grew larger. It ate chakra to grow size but the avenger was leaking the purple miasma by this point. If he could ease the suffering by destroying this taint as it overrode the natural strength of his master then he would be satisfied.

"We should return to Shinkan to have these wounds treated." Words were slurred unintentionally but easily recognizable.

There was a negative shake of the head and raven locks stirred briefly.

"I owe him enough as it is." There was nothing the man could do theoretically. Though the summoner sage was the best healer he knew would be able to lend help, he was not a choice. That man served only those injured in a battle between summoners and the internal politics of summoner and summoned.

A head dipped in acknowledgement to the concession of the point. Shinkan would not deny them service but it was considered shaming to arrive and treat the man as a medic-nin. They had been skirting the edge of this village for the two days it would take for the sludge-like chakra to finally finish its cycle. In two days they could enter the village and search for aid and supplies.

Manda absorbed the chakra, eating as much of the power he could, stopping when his body became just too large for the space and let it simply pass through his channels and out into jutsu smoke. Yellow eyes never turned from watching the snow-white body and disturbingly black smears.

Lean arms were brought up close, hands making the simple release hand sign. He leaned forward so that they were barely touching his lips. One single hand was encased in the black, distorted flames while the other was holily clean. Slitted eyes narrowed even as his bloodlust picked up, fangs lengthening as he funneled chakra into his mouth. Poison began dribbling down his chin.

A single breath. One moment when red eyes closed. Black flared ominously red and began spilling over the careful net before they area around him exploded in lashes of fierce purple charka. They receded just as quickly, freezing in the middle of twining around a lithe frame. The explosion ate the chakra greedily, sucking the boy dry and still managing to draw out more.

There was a peaceful minute of respite. Then another hour before thick sludge began slipping out again. Red eyes opened and the scaly body began to feed off the hazardous substance. Yellow eyes were gleaming with a multitude of emotion as the body sent forth another shockwave that littered the area around them with rope-like chakra tendrils. Red eyes closed and there was another hour of peace.

Sweat made the body glow brilliantly under the moonlight. Blood looked especially ethereal mixed in. The black enhanced the fragility. Red eyes marked the ruthlessness. Scales, shattered into a rainbow over varying shades of black, grays and white, wrapped around this paradox. Pink wiped away red. Scales shivered.

More sludge poured out. Fangs lengthened in anticipation. He was drunk off the power being supplied to him. Synchronizing his chakra channels with the raven's, his body twisted as it tried to expand in the small place designated as their hideout. The raven was unmindful, body throwing out chakra as fast as humanly possibly.

Blood fell like teardrops from the corners of his eyes. The stress of constant release was eating away at the fragile controls. Already the Sharingan was taking over parts of his mind that it had no place in. It seemed to be expanding and collapsing all at the same time. Soft and ghostlike, a tongue flicked away the twin trails before the body closed tightly around him.

"Just one more day." He whispered breathlessly. A head dipped in confirmation. The sun barely slipped down into the encompassing darkness before the nightmares started. He watched the body thrash and silent screams rip themselves from his throat but he never once let a cry out.

Manda gave a content hiss of appreciation. The raven was a beautiful creature. His body wrapped so protectively around the raven boasted his claim over his master. None would be foolish enough to try to steal him away, entranced by the aura and power that exclusively belonged to this man. Yellow eyes kept watch, guarding over his castor until the moon above painted them and then passed the brush to the lady dawn.

Brackish and rotted chakra filled the clearing. Red eyes opened, the tomoes spinning wildly as blood raced down white skin, half marred black, and the cycle began again.

"A man fitting that description came through this way but we did not note the time. He traveled east."

He nodded, cloak dipping ominously and then he walked past the man, body betraying none of the pain that he felt. His sin was hidden under the thick wrapping. Manda was the size of a viper and curled into a draping figure, yellow eyes watching from the cloak's shadow.

There was a yip as he was driven onward and into town, following the scent into another residential area. He stayed to the side, clever enough to know that he would be driven away at the slightest sign of his presence. It was amazing how well dark red and white could mix into shadows. As he bounded between spaces, a strip of white fluttered after it, attached at the leg and then he was swallowed by shadows and vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Yo! Here's chapter five! Disclaimer's in the back. R 'n R! (Oh, last paragraph's the fox) Sorry if it confuses anyone but you'll get it.

V. Like the Ice, Like the Sky, Like the Ocean, Like the Night

There was nothing more temperamental than those eyes. In the space of one conversation they had brightened, darkened, steeled and softened. But no matter the emotion that they decided to project that was it. Between these small replicas of emotion, there was a blank mask. It stared out from underneath the face they knew so well, but they could not seem to find the line that determined which was the layer that truly belonged on the surface.

He didn't need to be reminded of that feeling again. When Inari spoke and uttered those words, he had remembered with perfect clarity the exact moment when he had felt that fear as well. But it was too tightly tangled in the knots that were the other feelings. Hate, rage, helplessness, uselessness, sadness, pity, sympathy, and hope. They were so snared together that touching one unraveled the entire mess.

It always flung him back into this. Smile on the outside. Suffer in pain within.

He had tried over the years to find a way to handle the mess. As his connection with the fox strengthened, he could now talk with ease to the creature that lay inside. And this was the only being that knew which knot to pull to make it even tighter and more unbreakable. It was his Gordian Knot. When he could finally break it, he could free himself.

Nine tails were leisurely twitching, body curled comfortably. A red eye watched in amusement as his host sulked just on the other side of the bars, futilely trying to wrap it all back together.

"Kit, just bring it inside to me. I can fix it for you." Blue eyes burned into him, a fierce glare showing clear disapproval of the tone. It may have been a touch on the condescending side.

"Kyu, stuff it. I can fix it myself." His actions belied the words as the physical manifestation of his memory, a ball of complex knots, loops and twists styled in the color red, began to unweave farther, pushing itself nearly to the forefront of his mind.

"Bring it to me kit." He lifted his head, show as much sincerity a demon could, while impatiently flicking four out of the nine tails.

The blonde stood and walked through the barrier, pausing for a moment as the kitsune spirit shuddered at being this close to the surface. It casually forced itself to compress, drawing his power tightly around himself and letting his colossal body shrink to the size of a horse.

"Hand it to me." The red memory ball was placed into the hammock of two tails and the Kyuubi began lightly tugging on a knot here, there, and looping them inside themselves. Within minutes, he had tied it neatly and tossed it back to the boy. He held it close before taking it and placing it just outside the cage doors.

"Why can't I get rid of it? Of them? Why won't they go away?" He whispered, hair blowing in the ephemeral gust that was the Kyuubi's powers leaving. Wide, pain-filled eyes looked into the red. Red plainly refused the contact, instead straying to the collection of items outside his cage door, a shelf and numerous other table like structures were covered in memories.

Those with his emotions were bundled tightly into corresponding colors. Those with sound were trapped like smoke in clear bottles. Pictures were framed, a single frame for each set, the pictures shifting through like a slideshow. Everything that he wanted to ignore or keep, piled neatly into one small space.

Blue eyes had long since stopped anticipating the answer. There was not one. Until the memories decided to fade, there was nothing he could do.

"I'm supposed to be up in an hour, Kyu. I'm going back. Thanks." A small, insignificantly sized hand briefly touched red-orange fur and then the ethereal image and blue residue faded from his senses. Eyes closed into a nap, binding his time and patience until he was needed. There was no way to escape from the blonde now. He looked at the fur he had hidden behind him, the shedding hair. His powers were being eaten away. Immortality didn't exist. Not even when you were immortal.

"Hey, Naruto?" He turned over to look at Sakura as she picked up her pace to be beside him.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" He met her eyes once to show he was listening and then turned to look at the forest ahead.

"It's about that pattern. Do you think Itachi really passed through Inari's village like Sasuke? It seems too much like a coincidence to me." She had turned her own eyes straight forward, gauging the distance to the next branch.

"If Sasuke went through there then Itachi was probably in front of him. We've got to make better time to the next village though, or we'll fall further behind them." Blue eyes gave her a considering look before turning toward the others. "I'm not sure that'll be possible, though."

"What do you mean?" She had a pretty good idea of what he meant.

"Both of them are traveling by themselves. They're covering more ground in a single day than we do in half. We're falling behind, Sakura. We might never catch them at this rate."

She felt her eyes go wide in stun. The word never had just fallen out of NARUTO'S mouth. Provided, it was proceeded by might but still. She looked him over. He still looked the same. Blonde, tall, whiskered and blue-eyed. But, when she met those eyes again, there was a distance between them. Ice just danced under the playful mask. He sprung out of sight as her pace fell back a step and she watched his back as he caught up with Kakashi.

She knew he was growing up but it was disturbing to see the blonde so serious, lacking his signature bright attitude. Present but muted as it were.

"We could break up into two groups then. Send the fastest with the most stamina ahead and leave signals to let the others follow. We'll catch them sooner and we won't be sidetracked." It was a good argument, he had to admit. He had his own doubts about whether or not they would catch the Uchihas.

Silver hair shifted and he blushed harder as he kept one eye trained on just the book. The other was looking past, studying the tense frame and hard eyes. He could easily see the exuberance of the former genin as clearly as he could the first day, regardless of the ice. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the tenseness was for care of the youngest Uchiha. Naruto did often have a one track mind when it came to things he cared about.

"That would increase our chances," He tried to word this carefully, not exactly willing to lay his thoughts bare to the blonde, "But I'm wondering if this enthusiasm is because of the mission, or because of Sasuke. If I sent you ahead, could I trust you to do what you must and bypass Sasuke to the last Akatsuki? Would you leave Sasuke behind to follow your orders, Naruto? Answer me that truthfully and I will decide."

What could he say to that? A yes meant that he would destroy that fragile lock he kept, holding back all the tsunami-like engulfing waves of emotion he tried to hide from the world. A No would break his nindo, he had promised to carry out this mission and he would see it fully completed.

"Kakashi-sensei," Those eyes were deeper than the ice and the bright laughter. There lurked thick coils, like a serpent or fox's tails, of emotion, stirring just below. "I would follow the orders. But I would bring Sasuke along as well."

There was the answer he'd been waiting for. Naruto would always bend things to work in his favor.

"You better not slow me down." He gave the dog boy a stern look before sulkily beginning to go ahead. Kiba just snorted and lifted an eyebrow at Shikamaru.

"Are you ready for this?" Shikamaru just sighed and Neji took off. He waited all of five seconds before following with Shikamaru bringing up the end.

He barely stopped. Just long enough to sleep for a few hours or eat something hot and nutritious for once. He had been munching through trail mix and energy bars when he could. For the most hyperactive ninja, it'd been a fast pace. For the most unpredictable ninja, it'd been surprisingly and chillingly quiet. He'd been too calm. Grim.

When they passed through the village, the questions he'd asked always changed. He never asked directly about Sasuke but he'd ask if there had been any sort of significant time interval from the time two men of dark and pale shading had entered the town. The last answer they had to that one had been unnerving.

"I don't think I'm understanding you. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He had this huge black cloak and he tried to hide as much of himself as he could but I saw him. Under the cloak, his face was covered with these black marks like he'd spilled ink over his face. And his eyes were red and black and they spun like a cart wheel. There was something under the cloak with him too. It had these freaking yellow eyes." The kid took a few breaths to cam himself down and self-consciously began shifting from foot to foot.

"Thanks, kid. That was a big help." He gave him a small genuine smile before ruffling the child's hair and walking back to the group. "Did you catch all that?"

"Yeah, but what's it mean? The black marks and eyes could only be the curse seal and the Sharingan, but why would he have them active?"

"And the yellow eyes?"

"Maybe some genjutsu to fool or intimidate?" Kiba offered with a snort. "Maybe something that has to do with the snake. That's more likely."

"I'm not liking this at all. It's the same as Inari said. I don't understand why he would be needing that power just to enter a village unless he thought Itachi was here."

"Let's just catch up to them. We'll probably overtake Sasuke first and then we'll go from there. We might be able to get Kakashi's group to him and have them seal him down before we hunt Itachi."

"Nuh-uh. Sasuke's coming with us. He'll never let the curse seal go otherwise. He's been tracking him this long so he's coming and he can fight." Naruto's blue eyes were darker than before. Like the blue just before nightfall. He nodded once before leading them out of the village in the same direction Sasuke and Itachi had vanished in.

Shikamaru sighed again before taking up the end. This was becoming too troublesome.

He sped ahead, the scent still fresh. He was almost caught up. If he just kept running, he'd catch him.


	6. Chapter 6

Yo! Chapter Six is Up. Thanks for the hits, alerts and reviews. I appreciate them. This Chapter's Sasuke again.

VI. Negative Development : White is Black

There had only been minutes between the attacks in which he'd set the chakra barrier. Manda had grown to accommodate the circular fencing and was curled around the outer edges. His body was funneling purple chakra out as smoke and mist, hiding the area from foolish eyes. The animals had long since vanished.

The scream that shattered the silence caused his pupils to dilate in bloodlust. The raven was kneeling on the ground, digging his fingers furiously into the earth. His mouth was already bleeding and it was making a small puddle of blood and dirt below him. The cloak had been abandoned and the yukata was forgotten amongst the dark cloth.

The beautiful skin was lovingly embraced in thick lines of black, caressing the shaking body and burning red and orange. They swirled dangerously, snaking up the side of his neck, and brushing under his ear. It began traveling downwards and conquered the alabaster skin.

More screams broke the quiet breathing inside the barrier, the smoke outside thickening and swirling as it began to build faster. It was almost as high as a signal fire now, but nothing could be seen as the rain poured down. It poured through the barrier and traced already burning patterns. He was shaking in the mixed stimulations and screamed again as thunder punctuated the cry.

Lightning lit the scene very briefly and there was a fierce scream, tearing flesh, sobbing breaths. He heaved. His entire body arched upwards another cry already forming and heightening as another wave of unadulterated pain destroyed more of the canvas of white and black. Yellow stained eyes watched with sickened fascination as the undulating figure's stoicism was ripped away as the final tear completed.

Purple chakra turned black and sicklier than previously. It pooled in the ripped flesh. The black flames were burning hotter and spreading faster. Sinews of flesh and bone began to form in the mess of chakra. As the deformed limb became quite real, membrane solidified in the empty spaces with disgusting sounds that were only reaching reality when the raven had stopped shattering screams to breathe.

It was a long process that lasted sixteen flashes of lightning which highlighted the morbid scene presented before his eyes. The raven fell back to all fours with a single wing fanned above his body, acting as an umbrella to the bleeding and blood-soaked skin.

It quivered and was as untried as a child's first step. It lost rigidness and slumped in a heap against the bleeding skin. Manda moved cautiously as he felt more and more of the chakra fade away. The avenger's breathing was still now. Gentle and calm in the middle of the thunderstorm.

"Sasuke…" It caressed the name, savoring the simmering vowels like a delicacy. The chakra barrier broke then, like it was the key word to open gates. Rain covered them and Manda let the blood thickened mud obscure his scales. He curled over the hunched figure and pulled him into his protection, eating up the only remaining chakra to grow to the extent allowed.

Disoriented, he rose shakily to his feet, hand holding tightly to the serpent. His head ached and he pressed the palm of his hand against his temple. Everything was reversed. His skin color was greyer, his hair shot through with dark grey highlights, and the single wing hung awkwardly off his back.

"Manda?" The snake tightened his grip lightly on the raven before loosening. He sighed softly, and took a step forward. Once he established a proper gait that accounted for the shift in his center of gravity, he was able to maintain himself without aid. The serpent king gave up the loss graciously.

"We need supplies, Sasuke. You will lose the battle without proper nutrition." The serpentine voice whispered as it wound itself delicately around his mark-free right side. Not completely free, evidenced by the spattering on his upper shoulder and the single tendril that wrapped almost completely across his torso.

"I can maintain the genjutsu as long as you firmly hold the excess." Yellow eyes met red swirls steadily, slightly lowering to the side as the look intensified.

"Do not insinuate that I cannot hold a genjutsu and manage pain. I won't let something as simple as that shame my name." The taunt worked too well it seemed. The raven focused the adequate amount of chakra and the clearing of smoke revealed a nondescript teen with brown hair and eyes. The carefully blank eyes shadowed with indifference echoed the stoicism that never left the avenger, except the nights when plagued by Heaven Seal-induced pain.

As the village fell to his light strides and silent passage, the genjutsu was dropped and a creature set to terrify the mind stealthily made its way through treetops. The wing arched slightly to give more stability to the raven, gifting him with momentary flight.

The shadow that glided over the skirting campfires was whispered about the following morning. The strips of cloth that were found occasionally snagged by raptors taken to add to nests. The quieted tales of a scaled demon that stole trapped prey and the deformed bird of prey that it stalked were met with scorn.

"We are catching up to him. His signs of passing have gotten sloppy and obvious. He knows that a hunter is behind him."

Red eyes steeled as black flames began strangling him. Deep purple scales were lit with moonlight, fresh blood cleaned from them. The mangled prey left for the travelers to speculate about. A single nod and they were moving forward. The coils of the metaphoric anaconda stealing more breath from the unwitting quarry. Bloodlust was mirrored in both eyes. The world painted black as the silver eye peered out from the black clouds and the ground was virginal white. It twisted the perception of his world even further.

Nightmares were less and less plagued with hauntingly beautiful blues. No more eerily sky blues tingeing maroon. Instead, black and white ate at his sanity. And the swirling red. Hypnotic. Stunning. Unavoidable. Satanic. Blue always lurked on the outer edges. Just out of his reach.


	7. Chapter 7

Yo! Enjoy chapter seven. Drop me a line if you have the time. That almost rhymes. Anyway, Be prepared, faithful readers. Everything's going downhill start of next chapter. And yes, there will be more to come.

VII. Paint-brushed White, Fluorescent Orange and Natural Red, Vulpine Pelt

"Can you smell that, Naruto?" Kiba's hand was covering his nose and Akamaru was whining pitifully. His face was scrunched up in a gesture of disgust.

"What do you think, dog-breath? I'm a fox, you know, not an idiot." Naruto's own face was of similar disgust. This section of the forest rank of putrid and diseased chakra. It was everywhere. There were marks from chakra release all along the ground and the scent of dried blood was heavy. It was also very similar.

"Shikamaru? What do you think about this? What could have happened?" Neji's eyes saw everything. He could see the actual residue from the fetid black and purple that clung to all life, killing it from the inside out.

"Don't touch it!" Naruto hissed as he reached out to brush a tree trunk. "It's contagious. Don't touch it or it will infect you as well." The tanned hand withdrew and released the paler one. Neji shook his head and blinked a few times then frowned.

"I could feel the lure, I suppose. It's like a virus. We'll have to alert Kakashi and have him seal this place. Who knows how many creatures and people have already died because of it." He muttered.

The kyuubi-boy nodded and he stepped out of the nearly perfect circle to activate a summoning jutsu. The toad that appeared was obedient enough and took the orders without complaint. He walked back to find all three of his companions scowling.

"What?" But he already knew the answer. From the blood in this place alone, he knew the answer.

"This was Uchiha's work. He's the one infected. He can't be allowed any contact with us and it would jeopardize the mission if we brought him along. If we find Sasuke, he'll have to be sealed up, Naruto. Like it or not." Shikamaru delivered the final decision with all the seriousness it called upon.

"I'm not liking it at all, Naruto. His curse seal caused this, I'm sure of it. It's not normal for him to cause this type of damage and leave the area open and unhidden. Naruto, I'm not sure if we find him, he'll be himself." Kiba looked him dead in the eye but his concern for the blonde was strong.

"Understand, Naruto, that we need to be careful. If Sasuke is unable to control the seal any longer then we may have to ignore this desire you have for him to finally have vengeance in favor of handling his mental and physical state. You need to let this show you that he can't be trusted, Naruto. He's obviously not in his right state of mind." Neji refused to look away or cower when that bright and fiery gaze was turned on him. Akamaru gave a loud bark and disappeared in the underbrush before he let out another cry.

"I get it. The mission comes above all else." The other three relaxed a bit but the look in his eyes let them know that he wasn't cowed either. "But if I find him and he's suffering, I'm not going to pass him up without taking him along. If he doesn't kill Itachi then he left in vain. If he doesn't use that damned mark for one act of good will, then I nearly died for nothing."

He touched his left side with a strained fist. Their eyes riveted on the spot. "If Sasuke is not in his right mind then it won't matter what we do. I couldn't stop him then, I can't kill him now and I won't let any of you take his life either."

"Naruto, we never said-"

Akamaru flushed out his elusive prize into their midst, successfully breaking up the tense atmosphere. The quivering bundle of fur immediately darted up Naruto's leg and perched on his shoulder, the thick tail puffed out and its scruff stiff.

"A fox!" Kiba calmed Akamaru as Naruto was left to handle the other furred creature. It hissed and yipped at the beast of a canine a few times for good measure before sticking its nose into Naruto's face.

"What the hell, Naruto?" The fox had begun yipping, tail swishing happily and then the red mass was licking his face with long swipes.

"Like I've got any clue." A forepaw slipped and he stabilized the creature before Neji's hand was replacing his and holding the foreleg. Surprised, blue eyes turned to the Byakugan wielder and his mouth opened to say something sarcastic and mocking.

"Six fires of hell." The pale-skinned boy breathed instead before his voice took on a curious note. "The Uchiha didn't happen to nurture a soft spot for furry, defenseless, bleeding or injured woodland creatures, I assume?"

The others gave him a deadpan look in return.

"I'm only asking because it appears he has a weakness for foxes, REAL foxes." He clarified when Naruto bristled with righteous scorn. "This fox has a bandage sporting the Uchiha crest."

"What?" Naruto moved the animal to the crook of his arm and spotted the dirty scrap of cloth tied neatly but trailing around and from the leg. On the underside, the Uchiha fan was minute and fragile. He brushed his thumb over the familiar symbol in nostalgic acknowledgement.

"Well, I'll be damned." He muttered in amazement.

"Now we know he's not in his right mind. He's taking care of furry, soft animals." Kiba snorted and looked the vulpine mass snuggling into Naruto. "Can you talk to it, fox-boy?"

"How the hell should I know?" He glared back as the canine-nin scoffed.

"Have you ever tried before?" At the headshake, he continued. "Well, then try."

His mouth twisted into a scowl and he gave into the temptation to stick out his tongue. Insults were snarled in whispers under his breath and he moodily moved from the clearing to drop in Indian-style on the ground just outside it. It was faintly damp but he didn't care.

"Okay then, Kyuubi. Let's give this a try." The smaller fox's eyes were green tinged amber, he noticed. Its fur was shades of burnt orange-red and the white on its tail looked like he'd dropped it in a paint bucket. It was completely docile in his arms and its ears were upturned expectantly.

Naruto's eyes closed and he reached for the space deep inside himself that way just on the other side of a gate. He bypassed the trinkets and tables and shelves to walk straight up to Kyuubi's cage.

"Need something, kit? Like a lesson in tongues perhaps?" The greedy smile widened with the introduction of fangs and his host colored slightly in the face of the implied innuendo.

"Quit being a pervert, Kyu. What I do need is a lesson in fox-speak. Care to share the secret?" He shrugged and lounged against the bars. He glanced behind him when Kyu began to make an odd rumbling sound. His expression cleared when the kitsune began cackling loudly.

"Sure thing, kit. Just reach out your hand and I'll grant you my ability." The fox's eyes shone with a dangerous and playful gleam. Naruto was too familiar with the looks to be worried by them now. He turned and held out his palm without hesitation.

The kitsune's powers bunched and imploded and the fox shrunk to a more manageable height. His head was level with Naruto's now and he still leered at the boy.

"Just hurry up, Kyu. Those creeps are gonna start getting impatient and if I can't say Sasuke's actually in his RIGHT mind, they'll go behind my back when we catch him."

"Kit, you do realize that you can't use proof a fox gives you as evidence don't you?" Kyuubi was busy focusing chakra in his mouth though.

"I know but if I can at least say that he has some compassion then they'll let me decide. I know him the best, no matter what they think. I'm his best friend." He grinned weakly, the images behind him flashing pictures. The sound of a thousand birds chirping and the faint noise of water falling drifted over to them but both parties ignored it.

"Just don't scream, kit." Kyuubi bit his host's palm, passing the chakra in its unchecked form directly into him, skipping the seal filter. The kitsune pulled away and the marks healed under his will. Naruto shuddered and gasped a few times, taking a few heaving breaths. He grinned up at Kyuubi as the powers exploded outwards and his hair waved lightly in the mindscaped wind.

"Thanks, Kyu. I've got a kit to go chat up. Stay out of trouble will ya?" The demon fox snorted before going to play with the ball of memories Naruto left inside his cage. The yellow threads shone like sunlight in the cell.

"OI!" Naruto jumped as the voice yelled right in his ear. The fox was cheerily chewing in his supply pouch and his friends stood in front of him except for Kiba who had yelled in his ear.

"What?!" He pulled the fox out of his pouch and held it by its scruff, it waved its tail happily, licking its lips clean. It blinked at him innocently enough and the others smirked slightly as his eyebrow twitched.

"Gonna talk to the thing or what?"

'I'm not a thing!' It hissed. Naruto grinned a mega-watt smile as he understood the following insults. It was quite inventive.

"Don't let him get to you. He seems to think that anything that's not a dog, a blushing shy girl or an enemy is a thing. He has head problems." Naruto was slightly surprised when the other three stared at him but he shrugged. The fox was overjoyed however to finally have someone to talk to.

'You can understand?! Thank, Inari-sama. I've had no one to talk to since I left.' The fox was wildly waving his tail in ecstasy and seemed perkier. 'I've done nothing but travel and hide for days! How can you understand me anyway? You humans never did get it right. Not even the other one understood, but he kinda did too. It's a bit confusing.'

Apparently, Naruto had landed a fox as hyperactive as himself. The bundle of fur was hyped up in a tizzy. It was oddly endearing and very much so disturbing.

'What do I call you anyway?' The large green-brown eyes blinked and then continued. 'I'm Ame, by the way.'

"Just call me Kyu." Naruto was interrupted before he could begin to question the fox though.

'My oka-chan called me rain 'cause when I was born, she got this premonition that it would rain and end the drought. It did and she called me rain.'

"Why aren't you back home then?" He interrupted the fox this time as it began yapping on about his old home.

'Oh.' The ears drooped and his tail went still. 'Hunters destroyed my den. I had nothing left for me there. When I went back home after I met the other one, they were all dead. I decided to follow him.'

"Him who? Did he have dark hair?" The head tilted to the side before pulling away slightly.

'Are you hunting him? Is he your prey?' The fox pulled away and his hackles began to stiffen at the implied danger.

"We're not hunting him. We're after someone else but I know him. He's really hurt and we're going to try to help him."

'I know he's hurt. He's got something wrong with his skin. It's all black and white. And he's really sick. There was this huge snake here with him and then the air got all foggy and misty and it stank like blood. He screamed like he was caught in one of those spring metal traps for a long time. It made everything around here sick too.'

Naruto's eyes had gone steadily wide. Sasuke was in pain. In so much pain that he was screaming. He only had one instance to draw his basis on but he had only known Sasuke to scream like that when Itachi had unleashed Mangekyo Sharingan on him. There was something wrong with his curse seal. He could even now be doubled over in pain somewhere, screaming until the pain stopped.

"The fox is coming with us. We're going. Now." The fox's claws were dug into his orange jacket and the fox remained still as he stood and leapt to the next tree branch. He filled them in on the little bits the fox told him and kept the pain he felt for his friend inside. He bit his lip as he felt it wash through him, begging him to tell the others a sample of his feelings. But he refused to do so. There were things that they couldn't know no matter how much he trusted them.

Kyuubi noticed with light annoyance and surprise as the yellow ball of tangled threads began to fall apart. He began wrapping it again, retying the knot that had come loose. His claws treated it delicately and soon he had the ball as neatly tied off as the others. The mirrors were still plagued with the confession, birds and waterfalls. He threw it at them; it brushed with no more harm than a cotton ball at a brick wall.


	8. Chapter 8

Yo! Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah! Feliz Navidad! Happy Whatever Holidays everyone celebrates but I don't know the name of! Warm wishes on your holiday! Here's chapter Eight. It's lik a train now, one out of control and just barreling own the track. Enjoy.

VIII. Rainbows of Grey

It was drizzling. Slightly cold. The sky was only grey, even to his eyes. The light rain only made them damp. The serpent had removed himself from the chosen arena. There was something oddly warm about the scene before him. It had been quite some time since the beginning of this journey. It had been at least five months into the raven's last year. Five months of pursuit.

But it appeared that karma had a sway to destiny after all. The dream that had been challenged by the Sannin was now presented to the raven. Perhaps by the end of this battle, the winner of another, an older battle, would be decided. Perhaps there was to be a victor in the Battle of Dreams in Otogakure after all.

It was a sickening sight that had such a beautiful melancholy to it that the faint emotion that tugged at the elder's mind could only be nostalgia. Sasuke had often possessed the tragic beauty that Itachi had in spades, but the younger raven similarly possessed compassion.

"Greetings, foolish little brother." It was a soft utterance. So fragile coming from this man. He was no longer the stronger of the two. He was a faded, washed image.

"Itachi." He acknowledged with a blank face. Rage and hatred was already swelled inside him. The curse mark spread over his body, the wing flexing in expectation and those red eyes spinning wildly.

"You were such a fool, otouto, to allow that to be done to you." Itachi barely even motioned to the distortion on his younger brother's face and back.

Yellow eyes watched in surprise and fascination as the raven merely shrugged and gently reached over his shoulder to stroke the thin membrane between the jutting bones. A slight twist to those light purple lips and the hand had fallen again. The sword that hung at his back useless was nudged as the wing flared out before being pulled in tight. Another, calmer gesture and the thick handle rested in his palm.

"I'm not weak any longer, Itachi. I'm the Avenger that you so justly need right now." It was a tepid reminder of their present and past. Sasuke was no longer the boy he was before. Sasuke was no longer the boy that Itachi had met in the past. He was better.

Greying hair was caught in the wind as was the white and black streaked hair of his brother. For a moment, it seemed as though they could pass one another without ill will.

Wishful thinking.

The clang of the two blades was a glorious sound of beginning and end.

Hands shifted slightly. A firmed grip on the hilt. Adjust weight to account for the wing. Lean back. Down. Forward. Jump. Block the hit on the right. Move away.

A morbid ballet that played to the whims of its two performers. Steel striking. Red eyes meeting. The slow spin and burning flames. Clang. Again. Clang. Again. Clang! Again! Again!

"So simple, otouto." A hand knocked the blade away from paralyzed fingers. Black followed in its wake as the hand trailed down the arm to grip the broken wrist. The other blocked the hit that the other hand directed towards him. The legs were stunned as the knees were abruptly jarred and twisted.

No scream. No emotion. Nothing flickered in the burning red eyes. Instead, black chakra swelled and exploded from behind those swirling red eyes.

Itachi was forced to withdraw as the chakra swirled around the injuries he had inflicted. Far from healing them, they instead were ripped further apart and blood and chakra poured from his body. The black markings covered the skin in entirety now and the wrist was brought back together with a sickening crack. Itachi could now honestly show his disgust. What had possessed his otouto to allow this deformity to be inflicted upon him?

The raven's body shook. Adrenaline was making the curse spread faster. It consumed him completely, making a final flame mark the last clean place. It cut vertically up into his eye and the spinning was stopped for a moment. Then they slid shut and when opening again, the shape was changed. Mangekyo met Mangekyo.

Flashes of steel too fast for the pale gold to even track. No noise registering until moments later. There was no way for him to keep pace any longer. Manda coiled up into himself even stronger as he watched blood splatter on the ground, this the only movement that he could actually keep track of.

The grey-haired man was hardly panting but there was too much wear on his body to avoid the action. He was always better than Sasuke at hiding his emotions. His brother was panting harshly, a hand griping his back and the long cut that started at the shoulder and traveled downward. It had been a costly move. Itachi craved to press back the flow of blood along his hip.

His expression was blank but inside he was watching with rapture as another wing began to form from the black and purple-tinged chakra that oozed out of the wound. Bones appeared with a sickening crunch and crack and leathery membrane sounded like silk as it slid between them. He could feel the probing to his mind being fought off by his own command over the ability.

Both activated simultaneously and their world drifted to one of negatives. For Itachi at least. The raven barely batted an eyelash as his world was pulled from the forest clearing to the decrepit Uchiha manor, littered with bodies and blood.

He felt vindictive anger surge through him. The elder was noticeably unbalanced as the screams did nothing to the younger. Perhaps his greatest fears were changed. The fledging Mangekyo was immune to the lure but it was all too easily done to overpower the weak resistance. The landscape changed as he tried various horrors upon his brother.

Screams as the hand was on target and struck the heart. What should have been blue was black. Nothing. Eyes that should have been gold white, taking the pain in stride and using the sword impaled upon himself to strike him down. Fangs devouring his body. Nothing. Himself as he appeared now. Nothing. There was no fear. No fear. Nothing could be done. The fledging Mangekyo was beginning a slow spin as the last image faded away.

"What do you fear, otouto?" It was a whisper as the world shifted and Itachi was panting in the world not controlled by Mangekyo.

The wings flexed and spread out behind him. He was at his full height now. Just brushing six feet and the wingspread stretching beyond. Each inch of flesh covered in black flames, twisting and wrapping around. The red eyes, spinning, cold and undaunted. It was fear of this moment that gripped him. There was a sense of exhaustion. Relief. Satisfaction. A smile twisted pale purple lips and fangs peaked out. It wasn't the moment he had imagined. It was far superior. Fears nothing. An unholy angel to deliver him from his sins. Rest in peace.

The grey haired one made a show of resistance but when the blade cackled with electricity, his fell from stiff fingers and into the ground. Time paused briefly at the moment of impact and in that spare second, the younger eyes pulled him inside the mind of his elder brother.

It was pure white. Everywhere. No shadow. No landscape. Blank. When he blinked, his brother was there. Sasuke was free of the disfigurements now. His skin as pale as Itachi's. His clothing was a humorous parody of heavenly robes. So pure. His hair was as dark as his eyes should have been. Instead they were blood red, the tomoes spinning languidly.

"You always said later, Aniki, but later never came. I can't really blame you for that. It was a foolish idea that you would do anything but humor me with 'later'. But I still hoped. I still wanted to think that it wouldn't end this way. That someone else would kill you before I had to. That you would give yourself up and return to Konoha with me. I know I'm going to be just behind you very soon, aniki."

Sasuke had moved his hands so that they were on his brother's shoulders. Itachi was so still. Very still. His little brother leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead and hugging him briefly.

"Love you, aniki." He whispered as he drew away. The beautiful image was gone in the next instant when he felt hot electricity, burning screams and an unholy angel where the beautiful figure of the brother he should have had had been.

"Goodbye, otouto." He nodded as the white blue chakra burned through his body and ripped him to pieces. Blood splattered over them both, Itachi's red eyes turning black and glazing over. It was such a short battle. Such a short moment that shouldn't have been over so fast.

The Akatsuki cloak waved and was doused in the drizzle. It hung off the dead body being supported by the trembling hands. The sword was tossed aside. Blood began pooling around them both. The wings were cast over them to shield them as the rain increased in strength. The red eyes blinked a few times. Then a scream introduced the first bolt of lightning.

"Oh my God." Yellow eyes turned and made out the profile of four humans. Two small furred creatures were at their feet. He slid over to protect his temporarily fallen caster and drew back his lips to warn them. No one would touch Sasuke.

Blue eyes turned toward him and flared brilliant red. He walked resolutely forward and the small fox at his heels followed.

"Move aside. Now." Another scream and the lightning was silent. The rain poured.


	9. Chapter 9

Yo! Here's an early Happy New Year's for everyone who celebrates it on December 31/January 1! Enjoy! Thanks for the reviews!

IX. Too Little Too Late; The Opposite of Black is Red

There was no way that they had just witnessed this fight. There was a feeling of unreality. They had spoke of this time, never really believing it; never really able to make it a true possibility. But the blindness they had strived on was ripped away, rain painting the image so finely.

The mission, on another note, was now complete.

The large serpent had moved to protect the dead and the dying. There was no doubt that the latter was true. The S-class criminal, the Akatsuki member, would not have died so easily. And if the chilling screams were any indication, Sasuke was suffering too much to worry about his stoicism and restraint. It was likely that he didn't notice them at all.

The form was grotesque. No one other than Naruto had seen it or really been able to understand why it was so chilling. It was perfectly understandable now. The jutting bones. The inhuman shape. The curse mark. The claws and fangs. The bloodcurdling screams ripped from the normally silent throat.

The snake had stiffened at the command, fangs dripping poison and, even scenting the kyuubi, refused to step aside. Snakes were not loyal creatures. They were loners. They survived by themselves. What could the raven have done to deserve such devotion in a creature that would betray another?

"I refuse. No one touches Sasuke." The black and purple chakra began to swell and Neji's warning was ignored by both parties. As it began building, the snake made it into chakra smoke and mist through their linked chakra channels. Naruto similarly stiffened under the direct statement that practically read, "No one unless it's over my cold, lifeless body. And I will find some way even then to friggin make sure you keep your hands off." It was a grudging respect that grew for the serpent then but that wouldn't stop him.

"I am going to help him. I'm going to try." But the snake wouldn't relent.

"It will stop. When it has run its course it will stop. Even with the situation like this, it will stop." The snake spoke with experience. He tried desperately to block out the screams that would haunt more of his nightmares than he would ever admit.

"And how many times has this happened that you can say that? Why isn't this any different?!"

"Because, little fox, I can feel it!" The glowing yellow eyes were mesmerizing. Kyuubi was more than happy to provide running commentary on how to avoid falling to their cheap seduction. But even then, he shivered as the fangs were brought closer. They gleamed lethally in the lightning. "Because I'm connected to him."

"What the hell is happening to him?" Came the outraged and slightly fearful cry off to their left. Kiba was looking successfully creeped out. Akamaru looked no better.

"Yes, what is happening to the curse seal?!" He tried to move past but the serpent thrashed his tail, making Naruto retreat a step.

"It's activated all the time. It's out of control. What else is there? It forces his eyes it mars his body, it makes excess limbs and rips screams from a throat that has never uttered such horrific cries before." As if on demand, Sasuke screamed again.

And then the black chakra began to swell. It twirled around the nearly prone form like ribbons on the end of a kite. Each contact with the serpent filtered off as harmless smoke. But the rest was not so lucky. The land died before them. And the dead body of the Uchiha genius was torn into shreds as it lashed the air. The drizzle died away, the lightning no more, but the water still turning brackish.

Tattooed hands flew into a set of familiar seals and Neji and Shikamaru had just the right amount of time to make the final seals of a chakra barrier. The serpent on the outside with them watched, eyes wide, as fire blacker and more fiercely red than ever raged inside the fragile netting.

"Sasuke!" The serpent thrashed desperately as he lost contact through that barrier. He attempted to strike the two but the kyuubi-child prevented it. His body began to wear as his chakra ate itself trying to hold this size. Spitting poison, he shrunk to a manageable height and lunged at the fox-spirit-holder.

"Enough!" Naruto held the serpent tightly. It writhed anyway, trying to get away, trying to get a kill strike. "Your master suffers and you act this way!"

The snake hissed with enough acid to corrode diamond.

"Naruto! Drop the snake and get over here!" Kiba and Akamaru were at another point, increasing the chakra input to the barrier. Even under the three's powers, it was still rippling like a lake. He did release the serpent and took his own place, mixing in red and blue chakra to the mass already swirling. It stabilized under the combined chakra but the inside was still a firestorm, with the Uchiha the eye. Naruto couldn't tear his eyes from the sight.

The black hair streaked white, the disfigured body, the pain etched into each line of skin. Each muscle taut with the severity. And the flames continued to pour as water from the Nile.

The serpent had moved to wrap around him, dangerously coiling around his neck. "And now what do you plan on doing with him? Wait for it to go out, knock him out and drag him with you?"

"Not quite." The serpent tightened briefly. "We're going to fix the seal and hopefully, get rid of it."

"There will be no need for it now." Manda grudgingly admitted. "But it won't matter anyway. It will still kill him."

"What?!" Naruto nearly dropped the hand sign from shock, Neji's reprimand stilling his hands. "Kill him?!"

"That is what I said, little fox." The serpent's mouth pulled back into a sneer. "He's not going to live no more than seven more months."

"What?!" This time it was the others who nearly dropped the barrier. Their eyes were wide. This couldn't be true. They didn't have much love for the Uchiha but he was still a Leaf shinobi, no matter what he'd done. They grew up with him. Mostly. A majority despised his choices but he was still part of the Rookie Nine. Loyalty didn't vanish, simply because they had a blonde reason not to let it.

"I've taken him to a Healer, humans. I'm not an ignorant creature. He was given twelve months to live on the night of the third lunar month. It has been five, leaving only seven more until he stills forever. It is not a day I am anticipating." He hissed at them as if they had called his loyalty into question.

"I refuse to let that happen then. He's got seven months that Tsunade and Jiraiya and everybody can use to get rid of it and make him better." His tanned face was ashen though. "He's coming with us."

Yellow and blue studied one another, weighing the other. Finally, yellow eyes nodded and the blue swirled cautiously. The body relaxed minutely and all seven pairs of eyes watched the Uchiha burning himself and the body of his brother over and over in the funeral pyre of the raven's choosing.

White eyes had activated their bloodline limit and watched the only solid body inside the chakra firestorm. The channels were polluted heavily with slow toxic poison, occasionally he could see the raven's natural chakra. It shone red amid the black and purple. It was mostly concentrated in the raven's mind, the eyes in particular.

The heavy concentration moved in its own circulation, repeating the same paths through his eye channels and around his subconscious mind. A flare would valiantly strike out and connect to the main gate in his heart but it would be contaminated before it could make any progress. There was no doubt in his mind that the Uchiha's own bloodline limit was providing the fragile defense.

The red swirled to all eyes, looking both inward and out. The screams had died but a fanged mouth bit into soft lightly purple lips, blood outlining the flawed skin. Everything within was crimson. Black. White. The wings were flexing in a semblance of flight, before snaring together and tearing stripes into the membranes. The yukata was nearly burned away, the parts protected by the Uchiha himself charring slightly.

Red eyes opened in the between. In the moments when the pain went away to a dull ache. They surveyed the body that was destroyed in front of him. The barrier that encased him. Then they met seven pairs of eyes. Yellow, green and amber, brown, dark amber, dark red, white. Searing blue. Pale lips twisted briefly in a moment of perfect sanity. They opened and the hushed words were clearly audible.

"About time, dobe. I'm ready to go home." Then the eyes were closed and he fell into unconsciousness.

The barrier fell, involuntarily. Scales embraced the body and arched in a fit of blind protection when the body trembled slightly. Hands were held useless at their sides. Blue eyes were darker and shining brighter than they had in a long time. A hand absently brushed away the crystalline bit of water and then covered those brilliant blues in shame. He was always dead-last.


	10. Chapter 10

Yo! Here's Chapter 10, and I'm so close to completing writing the story so soon I'll only have to upload chapters so if there's any problems, like the ideas sounding awfully similar to something else, message me so I can change it before I'm done. I'm getting some major hits to this but no reviews! That just depresses a person but I like this too much to drop it...Enjoy!

X. Pink like Rose Petals and Gold like the Sun

The sight that Kakashi's group stumbled upon three days later was one that had caused tantrums, shock and oceans of fear with mingled relief. Their advance team had set up camp in the middle of a field, obliviously conspicuous and hosting a variety of creatures and people that had never before been seen in good company.

Neji and Shikamaru had plotted out a chakra arena that had a fifty meter radius. Inside was a tent and it was presiding over a perfect seven thousand eight hundred and fifty meters squared of scorched land. A trio of tents were outside of this circle, a single fire before them. Logs were moved from the forest for benches. Two of the four were on these, apparently preparing dinner.

The other two were with a host of creatures too bizarre to be seen together. A fox yipped at Naruto's heels, Akamaru was playing with the fox, Gamakichi was on the dog's back, and the two humans were conversing with the King Snake Summons, Manda.

It was very needless to say that even Kakashi was temporarily stunned.

"Kakashi-sensei! We've got really super important news!" Naruto's voice easily carried over the flat land. The traps they had to have set up around this obvious camp must have been incredible otherwise a whole legion of shinobi would have rained down upon him.

"That's rather obvious." Kakashi beckoned them over to get the full details. "And where did you learn that array? I don't believe it was included in any training that could be offered in Konoha."

Naruto began to rub the back of his neck, uncomfortably. The others simply looked at him, the apparent leader of the Advance Party. "That's the thing. The good news is that the mission is completed."

"You killed Uchiha Itachi without us?!" Sakura demanded, moving closer to throttle the blonde.

He shook his hear vigorously. "Not us. See, when we arrived here, he was already engaged in combat."

"Who?" Kakashi's eyes were always sharp. He caught the unharmed appearance of the jounin that were assembled before him. An ally. One simply because of the Akatsuki's unpopularity in the nations no doubt.

"My master, human, who else would have the right?" Manda was small compared to a time before but no less intimidating. The serpent slid to drape around Naruto's shoulders comfortably, yellow eyes hard and wary.

"I think it's best that they see first then you can tell them the story you told us. We can leave tomorrow to get back to Konoha. Another day won't be too bad and we have Kakashi, Sakura, and Ino here now." Naruto had briefly touched the scaled tail that was wrapped around his arm. "Could you do that for them as well, Manda?"

It tilted its head and narrowed its eyes in irritation. The blue eyes were unwavering, like they were when the serpent first met them. He hesitated in trying to outright deny the simple request. But, the raven had been friendly. If you knew Sasuke anyway.

"I could." He conceded. The head dipped in a very shallow bow. "But only because it would be detrimental to his health if I did not explain the events that led up to this point." He fell from the tall and broad shoulders to proceeded to the array carved into the ground.

Naruto motioned for them to follow after him and the serpent, the other three staying behind.

"You can't touch him. No matter what. And don't get into the array. It's tuned to his chakra and the only one who can get in and out is Manda. His chakra is viral now and try not to scream." The snake slid through a barrier that rippled like water as he passed inside. Naruto stopped at the edge and placed a hand on Sakura's arm. He squeezed it tightly, but not enough to hurt, when the purple king snake slid through the tent flap.

"I'm coming, Manda. I'm coming." The serpent slid back through, looking particularly happy, proud and satisfied. He was bigger, the entire length of two horses. The yellow eyes were gleaming with a previously lacking sheen and he wound into a pool of scales and muscles.

A clawed hand pushed the curtain aside, easily recognizable markings tracing elegant fingers. Then a thin yukata sleeve that held aside the thick canvas as a slender malformed body entered bright sunlight.

"Sasuke!" Sakura jerked forward from shock, Naruto holding her back. Shino's eyebrows shot up. Ino's mouth dropped open and her hands reached forward. Kakashi's visible eye widened.

The Uchiha extended a hand for Manda to glide over. The serpent cheerily balanced himself on thin shoulders. He approached them slowly, letting the wings flutter as he moved. An eyebrow rose, shifting the black styles on his face slightly and he nodded to them.

"Sakura. Kakashi. Ino. Shino." He met their eyes, careful to keep one closed. The other had the sharingan spinning languidly. Sweat dripped down the side of his face but he made no move to brush it aside.

"Sasuke!" Sakura strained at Naruto's hand, desperately trying to reach the elusive Uchiha. The red eye flickered down and then up to blue eyes. The other mouth of fangs was set in a hard line. Sasuke's became no different.

"Don't Sakura. You can't come in here. You can't even touch me." His single eye met her shimmering green, tears forming as he spoke. It was to her credit that they didn't spill over. He moved as close as he could though.

"Sasuke, we need to talk." Kakashi seemed to settle down into his place, his expression yet to relax.

"We have all day, Kakashi-sensei. Neji and Shikamaru are making lunch, and I'll bring some over to you guys when it's done." Naruto let Sakura go and turned around, walking back towards the main camp.

Sasuke watched him leave with both eyes open, frowning heavily and absently petting the snake. "That would be kind of you. Thank you, Naruto." The kyuubi-boy faltered, a shiver arching up his spine before he nodded back to him and continued.

Kakashi watched the exchange, disturbed. Naruto must feel it too. Sasuke was too different. And there was more to it than the additional appendages and the tattooed skin. A clawed hand made a sweeping gesture and they settled down on the ground.

"I'm assuming that you learned this array with the sharingan." Kakashi began as an opener. Sasuke nodded and gathered the King Summons into his lap.

"Orochimaru used this barrier when he was experimenting. He conditioned it to his chakra. When inside, no one else could enter. It suppressed his chakra, so it made the pain dissipate when he practiced jutsu. It's a similar situation now." He sat cross-legged so that he could lean back a bit.

"And why do you need it?" Sakura was beside Kakashi, as far forward as she could be.

"The mark's always active now. Orochimaru did something to it before I killed him."

"Start from the beginning. Why would you kill him? I thought the exchange was fair enough for you?" Shino pushed and was seated on Kakashi's other side.

"Fine." A single red eye flashed at them and it seemed he was more aware. "It started when Orochimaru raped Kabuto. Then it progressed to making comments to each and every person within his walls. He loved to torture and break anyone and everyone. He turned his eyes onto me. I refused to break and we fought."

The story seemed to end there until Sasuke took a breath and began again. "I taunted him and he activated something within the Heaven's Seal. It began with the marks spreading. Then I gained a wing. When I fought Itachi, it made a complete possession. I gained another wing, fangs and claws. My chakra's poisonous now."

Sasuke smiled at them lightly. "And I have Mangekyo now."

"Food!" Naruto brought Sasuke his plate and Manda took it through the barrier. He opened both eyes to see Naruto and smiled again, fangs showing prominently.

"Thank you, Naruto." The blonde barely flinched at all.

"Aren't you tired, Sasuke?" The black and white head titled slightly, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. Then he nodded absently.

"Yes, I suppose I am. Say good-night to me later, Naruto." He stood and began walking back, the yellow eyes unabashedly glaring at the blonde.

"I promise, Sasuke." He nodded and watched the raven slip into the tent. "Come on, we'll have Manda fill you in. He's not exactly in his right mind."

Naruto had to pull Sakura away but the others came willingly.

"Naruto, what the hell is going on?!"

He seemed to deflate then. The look in his eyes haunting, drawing sharp notice that he had seen much in his eighteen years alive. They were the eyes of a war-hardened man who never learned to accept killing.

"Sakura. This is my fault. All my fault. I could have been here faster, sooner. I could have been there to help fight Orochimaru. I could have been there! This is all my fault! Damn it!" His body was tense with kyuubi-chakra. It swirled dangerously around him. "The first words out of his mouth were, "About time, dobe. I'm ready to go home.". I'm such a damn dead-last when it comes to Sasuke!"

His shoulders shook but he refused to cry again. Not again. "He isn't like himself at all. I can't stand him like this. It's warped his mind! And that damn snake! It said…It said that Sasuke only has seven months left before that damned curse seal kills him! I hate this!"

Sakura was beginning to sob now. It wasn't right. None of this. Naruto wasn't supposed to give up. Sasuke was supposed to fight with him. Sasuke wouldn't die before he was twenty. He wouldn't be so horribly disfigured and pained. Naruto let the chakra dissipate, and she ran forward to hug him tight. He shook very slightly against her.

"We're going to make things right. I promise Naruto. That's my nindo, my ninja way, and I never take it back." She whispered into his back, arms tight enough to grind his ribs together. Her voice shook and her body quivered but her words were strong.

"I know we will, Sakura. I know it." He twined a hand in hers and squeezed it. Ino bit her lip as she looked back at them and then returned to questioning Neji.

"You said that the chakra around his mind and eyes was mostly fine, right? It was protected?"

He nodded. "It should be his native chakra. Perhaps fueled by the sharingan." He glanced over to Kakashi to see the man nodding.

"It was strongly resistant, even when it reached stage two. I don't think that he would be composed enough to even remember our names otherwise." He nodded as he tipped his head sideways. "Manda-san, could you please enlighten this mortal on the happenings of your master before and after this cursed affliction?"

The serpent had started slightly, before narrowing his eyes and hissing at the silver-haired jounin. "Do you mock me and expect nothing to happen? I'm not one to let such trifles be permitted."

Kakashi bowed his head to the creature's further surprise and satisfaction. "I do not dare to mock you. You are the companion to a man I respect and one I care for. To mock you would both insult you, Manda-san, and him."

The serpent smirked lazily, in a way they knew was an affected trait. "So you want to know about my master's past a bit and our journey together? Rather personal information. I could not tell his secrets. You do understand."

"It would be detrimental if we did not know how deeply the trauma at Oto and the months following have effected his mind. If his mind is too fractured, then there would be little chance of survival." Kakashi let the serpent glide over to him and settle around his shoulders.

"Very well. I wish to start with my first summons then. My loyalties switched on that day.

Orochimaru was teaching my master the summoning jutsu on the night of the third-quarter moon. The raven had already been subject to several experimentations at this point. His chakra output was finessed so there would be no excess when performing the summons. Unlike Orochimaru, he did not summon a lesser spirit and begin to wrest command. I was the first he summoned.

He did not offer me an exchange for my services. He made it clear that I was the servant and he was the master. All bluster and pride but he was unflinching before me, chakra-exhausted and blood-splattered. He was so beautiful covered in blood."

The serpent's voice took on a dreamy tone that described the battle he briefly fought with the raven before he accepted the mantle. It had sounded disturbingly like the serpent was in love with the raven. But it was simply animalistic possession towards what one considers its property.

"My summons came more frequently and I watched over him as he was subjected to numerous nightmares and training sessions. Orochimaru summoned me only twice in this time, and I demanded payment. When I refused to bow to his wishes like I would to the master's, he grew angry. I believe that was the first night he took the silver-haired man. He wished to prove he was still controlling and dominant.

He turned his eye upon my master, the only one in the entire grounds that would not heel like a bitch. No offense at all to you, little fox." The serpent leered at him with unmistakable hostility, proving his placation false. "But master still refused. It escalated into a full battle when the sannin tried to force compliance. It was a glorious day of bloodshed. Oto fell that evening. Orochimaru impaled upon the sword he had bequeathed to the raven and those he had tortured, finally eased."

The serpent heaved a small sigh. "But then the bastard activated the Seal somehow. Chakra-deprived as he was, he should have been capable of nothing. But he started the wheels spinning in a way I could not allow. I took my master to Shinkan the Caster Sage, and he treated and diagnosed the master. He had twelve months left when we began the pursuit to slaughter his enemy and five have elapsed.

Upon the third month of those five, his chakra began to turn brackish and pour from his body each night for two days. On another of these happenings, he was given flight with the growth of a wing. We pursued still and we eventually caught the elder. They fought here and master was eclipsed into a total possession. He gained one more wing and the pinwheel-eyes. These four appeared at the end and proceeded to bind my master, claiming to wish to aid him."

Naruto glared right back when those eyes locked onto his. He wasn't sure what he'd done to the serpent but he was not going to sit there and be looked down upon by the belly-crawler.

"I did not approve of them but master treated them civilly. I took the unspoken command that I too should act in this manner, though it curdles my blood to be civil to the undeserving." Yellow eyes still blazed at him, hell-fire spewing pure and unadulterated hatred. "I am only gracing the fox-child with kind words because master does so. Whether in his right mind or not."

So the serpent had noticed.

"His behavior was not in a similar manner when in Oto?" Kakashi quickly interrupted the words that would have erupted from Naruto, had he allowed them.

"Of course not. He was very much in control of himself. Nothing was outside of his control then. Orochimaru began to warp his mind with that seal. He increased it and it only gained more foothold. Controlled but still increasing. If the sannin had the ability to take the master's body, the curse seal would have been voided. Obviously that is not what happened."

"So his mind is strongly resistant even now then?" Ino's question turned even the yellow eyes upon her but she was resolutely looking into the fire. She took a breath in the silence. "Neji said that his mind was mostly channeling his native chakra. I think that he has control of his mind but not his body. I want a chance to see for myself."

"No."

Surprised, she looked up into the various eyes that had all given voice to the statement's answer. "What? Why not?"

"Do you have any idea what you're proposing? Going inside his mind with his chakra as it is now? Do you want killed? His chakra is poison now. He will kill you."

Pale blue eyes hardened. She stood, pale skin, lavender fabric, and platinum blonde hair. She glared at each one of them and her lips thinned. The serpent turned eyes between her and the other blonde. He had refused as well.

"What could you do for my master, little girl, that would be nourishing?" Dry lips were wetted by a thin pink tongue that raced around the sprouted fangs. She looked to him without flinching.

"I could enter his mind and ask him myself what we could do to ease his journey to Konoha. I could speak with him without bringing him outside the barrier."

"That won't matter because it's not happening. He'll kill you. He won't recognize you."

"Think this through, Ino. He'll try to drive you out and you'll be hurt."

"He would destroy your mind. Don't suggest this."

"I want you to." Stunned eyes turned to the serpent.

"What happened to sharing his personal life?" Naruto spat.

"I do not want you any closer to him. That is all that means. You. I don't care what master thinks of you honestly but I will treat you as he wants because it is his will. If she can speak to him then I support her. Sometimes, females are smarter than males in these situations. You cannot help."

Each word was like another epitaph carved into his grave. He was so useless. Even the serpent thought so. He turned to look at Ino. She had chased Sasuke forever when they were genin. She had been so in love with him. What he saw in her wasn't love in the romantic way. She seemed that she was protecting a brother. He glanced to Sakura.

He had made a promise to bring the Uchiha back because of Sakura. She was so in love with him too. But she was sitting beside him, looking depressed and forlorn. Her eyes were dull and broken. She had spoken and reminded him of his nindo. But where had that strength come from? Did she not care about the raven in a romantic way anymore?

She looked up at him to meet his eyes. They hardened with resolve. They filled with purpose and life. But she wasn't staring back in an adoring way. Merely a determined manner. She was protecting him as a brother too, he realized. She squeezed his hand hard.

"I want you to do it too, Ino." Her hair fluttered like true cherry blossoms. It had gained a few shades of darker highlights over time and it paled in some places too. Green and blue eyes measured each other. "I'll use some of my chakra to keep you supplied so you have enough time without worrying about exhausting yourself, okay?"

It hadn't mattered what they said. The girls were sealing their promise now. To protect those they cherished as brothers. To protect those they cared about.

And there was nothing he could do to help. No way he could protect either parties. He couldn't protect Sasuke. He couldn't protect them when they tried this stunt either. He pulled his hand away from Sakura's gently and reached out to scratch the fox's ears. To give him a pretext if nothing else.

He'd never felt so damn useless and helpless in his entire life. Nothing compared to this clench that ripped his chest. It ached so much. His throat tightened and his eyes bled red as Kyuubi tried to ease him with soothing balmy chakra waves. Self-hatred made him bite his lips with ivory fangs. The taste of blood in his mouth did nothing to erase the bitter taste guilt and hatred left in his throat either.

"We're doing it now. Would you bring him out to us, Manda-san?"

"Absolutely." The serpent shot another poisonous glare at the fox-child. Would he do nothing to spare them the agony that would surely follow this? He did not know if the girl would be able to stand the raven's intense mind. He didn't know if the chakra would target her like an enemy. But did the fox-child believe that they could? Perhaps he had been shaken more than they thought. He took in blank empty eyes. Perhaps not.


	11. Chapter 11

Yo! I've just realized that I haven't updated this at all! I've got a new laptop now and I've beenbusy with it, completely ignoring my home computer and all my fics in progress! I feel awful so I'm double updating! Chapter twelve up in a minute!

XI. Golden Silver versus Black and Purple

"I want you to pull back the minute you feel any type of unusual pain. The sharingan has a strong resistance when it comes to the mind so you would have a hard time even without the seal. We're going to tell him the situation and see if he relaxes his barrier enough to let you in." Kakashi had been drilling her for the last few minutes, giving her tips and assurances.

"We're good to go, Manda-san." The serpent entered the barrier to draw out his master. The raven exited and strode over to them.

"Ino. Sakura. Kakashi." He nodded to them then glanced back to see the others hovering further back. "What is happening?" He opened both eyes to see Naruto before closing the left and turning on the female blonde.

"Sasuke, we know that you are in pain right now and that you will be in worse when you leave the barrier to go home. I want you to let me inside your mind so I can speak to you better. So I can get a practical idea of how we can do this without as much pain."

"Can't the Hyuuga see my channels? What would you need my mind for?" The raven frowned, not even tensing when they had asked.

"We need to know how much mental damage is done. My mind jutsu will let me feel more in tune with your mind and I can tell Sakura exactly what we need to do." The omissions and elaborations were unnecessary.

"From what I understand, she will only touch your subconscious so you would be aware of where she is and what her chakra is doing, master." Manda whispered into his ear from his perch on his shoulder. This small confession seemed to mostly placate the raven for he nodded, uneasily.

Ino gestured for him to sit which was also a reluctant gesture. He seemed to have an even stronger aversion to the next suggestion of opening both eyes to look into Ino's. When he was finally coaxed into it, she understood why.

Her blood went cold. She felt like someone had walked over her grave. The heat vanished from her body and Sakura's hand on her back was burning hot. She was frozen in all senses under that stare. The spinning was slow, but lethal.

"Relax Sasuke." The snake murmured and the spinning paused for a brief moment. Long enough for her to gather her courage, resolve and chakra and wage siege against the locked doors of his mind. Red eyes flashed liquid blue before changing back. Ino's body slumped. Red eyes began spinning again but in a vacant way.

It wasn't like any other mind she had ever been in. The steel doors closed behind her and as the last of her chakra slipped in, she felt the poison burning hers away like acid. Sakura's minty green chakra began to ease this hard bite as she walked down the black hallway. There were doors, all blank. All shut. No light on the other side. No light to brighten the way before her.

Shadows danced around her heels, spurring her on, pushing against her like cats. She could feel their chill as they darted around her, weaving ice cold waves below. It was so cold and dead inside this place. No mind had been like this. Many were close but they were still living. It was like parts of his metaphoric mind had died.

She faltered as the hallway was lit by small sconces into the walls. They painted even more frightening pictures on the walls. Black figures danced just outside the sparse light. They looked like cats, with red eyes that disappeared and reappeared other places. But every once in a while she would see them as human shapes and that terrified her.

She shook as another blast of minty chakra was pulsed through hers. She could feel the strain very faintly thanks to Sakura. She continued to walk through, ignoring the monsters that lurked on the outside of her vision now. She felt their eyes on her, looking through her.

The hallway became brighter, flames flickering. Three doors were sealed shut, chains crusted over them. The hinges were rusty. The inch below the door and above the floor was covered in blood. The third had a set of scratches on the heavy steel. Specks of blood were flaked in them. She placed her hand in the space before them. It looked like a human hand had done this.

She pulled her hand close, walking away from the three sentinel doors. More like ran. Those creatures followed, loping through the narrow space like they were wolves hunting or leaf shadows. Her breathing hitched as she heard laughter. This was a place she would never enter again.

Speaking of. She began threading her chakra out in small waves, letting it search out Sasuke's subconscious. She ran past the other doors, the ones with careful writing on the outside to label them. So neat and tidy this middle half. A far cry from the darkness and shadowy creatures that haunted the forefront. The middle ground was lit, labeled, and populated by frightening, laughing other creatures. They were more dog-like.

The hallway didn't have any splits. Only doors. It didn't branch. Only one long hallway. It wasn't beautiful or like she imagined his mind to be. It could have been the seal, but her opinion was that the seal only caused the darkness at the metaphorical front. It sprawled. If someone invaded here without consent, it would not be the mazes like other minds had that acted as protection, it would consume patience and energy by hiding its secrets down an endless forever. Abyss was a more than adequate term for Sasuke and what lurked under his eyes.

But…She slowed and the staccato laughter drifted away. The hallway was lit but without flames. It was brilliant white down this way. The steel gleamed and the wall space was white. Except for the dirty hand prints that looked as though someone had leaned on the wall and used it to guide them. It was a beautifully tainted place.

"Sasuke?" She was deep in his subconscious mind now. She could feel it. There was no control here, the doors were labeled in non-useful ways. She passed by a door that dealt with cooking rice as the cover but the water that was pooled at the bottom gave the impression that it wasn't matching the description.

The hallway ended at a wooden door. The wood was white, glossy and a silver doorknob was crushed slightly. She gingerly turned the knob, letting it swing open and waiting to glance inside, without walking in.

Light colored wooden floor. A small floor table. Two cushions. A pot of tea. A bookcase emptied and books scattered. Another door, further back. Black lacquered wood and oblique paper of the sliding doors. She stepped inside the room. The tea was hot in the pot. A small tray was set out with rice balls carefully placed. She took the unwritten invitation to seat herself and patiently wait. She couldn't feel the poison of the chakra systems in here.

"About time." She glanced up from her meticulous study of the tea pot as she heard the all-too-familiar irate voice. Sasuke had shoved aside one of the doors and walked inside with his yukata sleeves pulled and tied back. The spider-webbed writing looked almost beautiful below the white ensemble. Raven hair was so long now. The spikes that made it a recognizable haircut were flattened down and hung just past his shoulders, free and loose. The sharingan was stationary in his eyes.

The look inside was such an about face to the monster out.

"So, you've noticed and convinced them to do something about it before they go, haven't you?" He briskly prepared two glasses of tea, placing them in the center of the table. She took one as she nodded. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you."

She sputtered and coughed as she breathed in tea. "Wh-wh-what?"

"I can't help. I'm stuck here. If I leave this room, I would lose my sharingan to the curse. I would be blind, chakra-driven and near unstoppable." He calmly sipped his tea, wings quivering behind him, claws laced around the tea glass.

"But…There must be something we can do. We can get rid of this. We can get rid of everything."

"No you can't." His tone was harsh, grinding. "There is nothing you can do. No chakra can touch the poison without infection. No hand can touch my skin without burning. No one can look into my eyes and not be drawn into a genjutsu."

"But we can help. There must be someway. I refuse to believe that we can do nothing." Her blonde hair was so vivid in the white room. Sasuke's should have been but it seemed as bland as the white walls.

"No matter what you do or who you ask the answer is always the same. I die in seven months. I simply wish to go back to Konoha."

"And how do you expect to live there? You said it yourself, Sasuke. You can't look anyone in the eyes. You can't touch. You can't be shinobi. What would you do?" Her temper was flared like a forest fire around her. She glared at him, taking the icy stare received in stride. If she knew Sasuke's buttons by watching Naruto and he go at it, then she simply had to rile him up.

"I don't care what happens there. Imprisonment looks nice from where I'm sitting. I want to be buried in the family grave. I've avenged them; Aniki's dead. I can rest in peace."

"And you clan's revival?" She whispered. Sasuke's logic was so cold.

His laugh was harsh and bitter. "Look at me, Ino. I'm not anything that deserves to be a father. I'll take these last true eyes to the grave with me. And when Kakashi dies, they'll be wiped from this world. It's only fair."

"But Sasuke…"

"No."

"How do you want to be taken to Konoha?" She whispered again. Her throat was tight. Her heartbeat would have been heavy in her ears. She would be shaking and quivering. Here, she simply sat in paled and worn down exhaustion.

"You can take information back, correct?" At her nod he handed over a scroll. "It's a copy. These chakra seals are drawn on my wrists and arms and this last one on my forehead. I'll be too exhausted to fight the curse when you place them, so have Neji deactivate my chakra channels to the point where they collapse."

She would have asked if he could survive that. She would have pushed better methods. She would have taken the pain herself. But this wasn't what she could handle. Sasuke knew best, took the pain best and survived.

The faint transparency to the mental projection boasted his tired attitude. He was weary and wishing to return home to finally take the long sleep. Great novels were made of that simple plotline. The tragic hero is abused and tortured, only to die upon his return home. Home. It was a small spark that Sasuke still regarded it as home. She nodded and stood. She bowed her way out of the room and let her chakra rip her out from his mind, the darkness enveloping her like a cocoon of pain and hate.

Only in Sakura's arms, as her body readjusted itself, did she burst into tears. Quiet but dignified, she let them fall, muttering the plans to those listening. Sasuke had returned to his tent, the serpent retreated beyond the barrier.

Black destroyed everything. Victor : Black and Purple.


	12. Chapter 12

Yo! My double update as promised! Enjoy!

XII. Chains of Azure and Scarlet

"Are you finished, Neji?"

A nod.

"All right then." Kakashi warily took his place and signaled for the barrier to drop. It dissolved around them and Kakashi's hands flew in signs. Blue chakra concentrated around his fingertips.

A grey eye closed in concentration. The body before him was so still. Ignore it. The eyes so empty. Ignore it. Chakra channels collapsed. Ignore it. Wings secured to the body with wire. Ignore it. Blood dripped down from a flat-drawn mouth. Ignore everything! A thin mouth spreading into a reluctant half-smile. Ignore! Everything!

Hands were steady as they crossed the invisible barrier between the two bodies. Fingertips were brilliant blue. Vestiges of black chakra, polluted chakra, poisonous chakra, ugly chakra bubbled on the surface in the guise of black flames. They danced around the blue fingertips like flickering candles in a zephyr. The forefinger touched the wrist.

A cry. The sound of sizzling flesh. The other hand came up. The forefinger moved in the designated sign. Harsh guttural grunts of pain. Black flames danced up the blue, conquering, destroying. Infecting. Kakashi's hand was wrenched away. Knees hit the ground. So much noise. Pain. Pained breaths. The thick smell of burning flesh. The acid scented air as the black flames devoured the tongues of blue. Claws dug into the mark, washing it away in blood. Frantic movements. Wings being ripped to pieces. Struggling. Chakra-exhaustion induced struggles. Blood poured down the tattered wrist.

"Sasuke!"

"Kakashi!"

The screams were shrill. It made the raven struggle faster. The blood pooled between them, on the dirt-drawn seal. The surprise stopped their cries. Sakura pulled Kakashi away. Her green chakra seeped into the black-charred skin. He would wear that mark for longer than he cared. He would always have a scar. Not new news.

Sasuke's violent struggle was halted with Manda's intervention. The serpent coiled around the raven, embracing him harshly. Yellow eyes were bright with bloodlust. Fangs were the full length of the jounin's forearm. Lips were drawn back into snarls. The very picture of defiant protection. A mother guarding a child. A lover guarding the beloved.

Backed away. Kakashi led aside from the area. Hands waving the others away, moving bodies that had formed a barrier aside. The raven was deeply buried under burgundy mauve coils. Assurances were made. Disbelieved. Bandages and other medicines insisted upon. Arguments.

"Now what?"

That single question seemed to define the entire atmosphere. So, maybe they should have taken Ino at her literal word when she said not to lay a finger on him. Normal chakra, even that of the same core element and touched with sharingan chakra, wasn't enough to fight it away. Sasuke's was naturally resistant. So, maybe he didn't actually have a clue. He had given them the idea of course. But maybe he didn't know that his native chakra was resistant. Maybe he had thought the sharingan was enough.

Obviously not.

There were no answers. No chance to ask the raven. Manda had drawn him in tight, snarling at anything or anybody who came twenty feet inside their personal space. They sat around the fire, waiting for Sakura to pronounce Kakashi fit, with slight disabilities. The roll of gauze was so pure and masked the ugly black sin like a true cloth of purity.

"Well, I'm not touching him." Kiba grinned slightly and inspired a few weak snorts, laughs and smiles. He sighed and watched Akamaru's tail wave hesitatingly as the little tom curled up beside him. Soulful deep amber eyes stared back briefly before dropping.

Silence. There wasn't anything to do now except figure out how to match Sasuke's sealing jutsu to a technique that didn't require touching him. Tricky business.

The screams were still echoing in this place. The walls carried sound well, trapping it as efficiently as it did him. His tails thrashed against the bars, a desperate attempt to drown the echoes. The mirrors danced just outside his reach, taunting him with horrific images and nauseating cries. His chakra was a virtual whirlwind inside the cage, a verifiable twister of rage, desperation, and pained compassion. He'd killed things in the past that hadn't screamed as badly as the raven-child.

The tables shuddered. The glass shook; the light crystalline sounds were beautiful in the mild interruptions. But nothing would shatter. Nothing would stop. Nothing would make the screams be silent.

Red was splintered into a rainbow of sub-colors. Orange. Crimson. Scarlet. Tangerine. Burgundy. They danced and spun. Like lava or magma. And the red eyes were slit and glowed with power.

"That is enough! I demand silence!" On the heels of his thunderous roar, the screaming subsided. The figure that appeared in the clutter before the cage did wonders to soothe his presentable rage. His host was shaking, pale and panting. Kyuubi was hit with his emotions through their bond, washed with hopelessness, fear, self-hatred, and disgust.

"Kyu. Sorry." The silence that prevailed in the room was as blood-chilling as the screams. "I've got no idea how we're going to get him home. That's all he wants and I can't give it to him. I can't help!"

His fist struck the table, upsetting a vial filled with hazy purple smoke. It wobbled on the hard wood before falling and shattering on the ground. The haze drifted free from the glassy forest and the thick smell of pine and snow filled the air. The glass glowed white and repaired itself, sucking in the haze and corking itself. It sparkled on the ground like the harmless thing it played as.

Naruto reached toward the bottle, picking it up and rolling it between his hands. His rage hadn't subsided and neither did his self-loathe. Glass shattered as he shot the vial at his reflection in one of the mirrors. He slumped against the cage and panted harshly, sounding more strained as each breath passed.

The glass was fixing itself again as Kyuubi persuaded the blonde into his cage. Tanned hands were trembling as he clutched at the dark-red fur. His eyes softened as he remember the past. His first born had acted in a similar manner. But the temper was destructive without a proper direction given.

"What are you planning with the Uchiha?" It was always difficult to shape the human syllables with his inhuman muzzle but it never stopped him from trying. The kit seemed to respond better when he tried this communication. He had granted the kit fox-tongue but human was the host's native language. It would be time before he was comfortable with it.

"He gave us a sealing jutsu to use that would bind up his chakra so we could transport him but it requires us to touch him. Kakashi had his hand burned back in the attempt and he's better at seals than any of us. Shikamaru was thinking about just having Neji cut his chakra flow as it built up, but how long would it be before it found a way around that?"

Naruto let himself relax into the giant fox's hold and took comfort in the spiritual body and heat. "His chakra is so resistant. He'd find a way around Neji's trick and lose more of himself. I hate him like this Kyu. He's not right. But there's nothing I can do."

"You're not used to having limitations." The fox's voice was deep, lulling. Sapphire closed as it washed through him. "Believing in yourself, in others, in your dreams, it gives you so much power. Having youkai chakra to draw upon has given you confidence and understanding of power. It's the law of the jungle. But this isn't the jungle. This isn't your world or field of expertise. You don't have the power to change anything as you are now."

"Then there is a way. As I am now…Then there is a way to help. That I can help." He murmured into silken fur. The thick coat was so warm. It surrounded him.

"You could help. But would you help if it meant hurting him? If it meant nearly killing him? What would you do if I offered you a means to get him to Konohagakure but as a result, you hurt him horribly? How far would you go to fulfill his wish?"

The warmth was not nearly so inviting as before. He pulled away, the fox letting him go. "What the hell are you proposing, Kyuubi?"

Hard red eyes stared into him. Bore into him. Looked through him. The red chakra swarmed around the body and then dissipated, leaving the sleek profile of a horse-sized nine-tailed vulpine body. Lips drew back in a hard smirk as he met blue eyes at eye level.

"I could give you youkai chakra. Demon chakra. You use this to make the seals on the raven's body. Demon chakra is insusceptible to human-poisons, of all kinds. But in turn, my chakra would ravage through his body, burning his channels. It would eat at him in constant pain until his native chakra meshes. We have similar cores, I believe, so the pain would only be temporary."

"How much pain would he be in if I did this?" It was a whispered query. Like he was trying to hide the fact that he was considering even from himself. It must have torn him apart to even offer to cause more pain to the ruined angel.

"No more than the pain he experienced when we saw him the first night. It would last sixteen hours at the most before it aligned enough for his body to channel it without feeling like he was being eaten alive by acid."

"What would happen to the poison? Would it be wiped out?" Hope gleamed in his face like a constellation in a pitch-black sky.

"No. It would be subdued. It would flare again when the chakra expends itself."

"Couldn't I keep supplying chakra? Make it keep going?"

"Kit, imagine the strain that accompanies the four-tailed transformation. Now imagine that pain constantly always at the same level with no filter. You seal gives you an advantage. You can dilute the chakra into a manageable tolerance. He would have no filter. It would kill him before it cured him."

The nine tails were twitching, making shadows dance along the walls. He had settled on his haunches, with his fore legs stretched out. His host had sat beside him, caressing his left paw absently as he thought it out.

"Then I could get him to Konoha but he would still be toxic. Tsunade could have an area like the one here prepared in the Chuunin Exam building for him and have Anbu as the guards. We could get him there and place him inside until Tsunade could work out a solution. We could alternate the seals until she finds a way to get rid of it permanently."

Kyuubi said nothing. Naruto was already agreeing with the plans. There was a solution but it would be a travesty against his people and his title if he offered it. Kyuubi no Kitsune was the King of the Demons by all rights. Suggesting something that only he was given rights to, a sacred trust passed from rulers, would relinquish his life, as little as it was worth now to his successor. He was still alive, damn it! Without his natural form but he lived! He could not give his information to the human packs. No matter if he resided with them or not.

It was a matter of honor, pride and leadership. He would not. Not even for the blonde that was so similar to his fist kitling, to his heir, if not his title. Not even for him.

He said nothing still as his host exited his cell and offered the chakra without protest. The mental image of his host disappeared as he began to glow auburn and crimson. His fur bristled as he felt the power swell under his skin. It felt amazing, having all this power at his command, feeling this alive, feeling like he was supreme.

Demon or human, you could get drunk off the enormous energy that surged through his veins like fire, an inferno of virtually indestructible force.

"What's the seal supposed to do? How does it work?" He whispered to Ino as she sat next to him, still shaking from her encounter.

"It prevents chakra flow into the places marked. It's the best way because he won't be able to form hand seals, or infect his eyes. We could take him home safely." She bit her lip and her body shivered from her repression. He didn't offer her comfort, as though she had been crying, but thanked her for the information with a hug. She gave him a tight hold and let him go.

"Give me a shot at it." He cracked his knuckles as he approached the snake and raven. The golden eyes flared and poison dripped down dry lips. His chakra flared around him like a red mist. It pulsed in the air around them, suffocating and oppressive. The red burned brightly with the serpent's refusal. His ocean blue eyes dulled and then brightened crimson.

"You'll touch him when you kill me, fox." They tasted of pure poison. Those harsh nasty words. "Fight me."

"It's okay, Manda, it's okay. It's Naruto. Only Naruto." Sasuke was pushing at the blackish body, using strength not his own to rip away from the embrace. As he pulled free, the wrist sporting a blue burn was stitching as they watched. His wingtips quivered as the serpent sank back and he reached out nearly blind to the swirl of chakra. The black undulated around him, as desperate as Sasuke to touch the figure of red.

There was a moment that he locked away the guilt. He pushed aside the fact that Sasuke trusted him so much. Instead he held out a palm covered in red chakra. The fingertips lengthened under the wary gaze of the party surrounding them. The black was stretched out like fingertips and began to slowly caress the red, trying to eat it away. Sasuke's eyes were spinning too quickly, there was a blur of black around the center of his eyes. His hands were so delicate. So dangerous.

"Sasuke, do you trust me?" He whispered. He purred. The fox's chakra was taking firm control. It was a husky whisper, a fox's low call. Wrought with age old power and unknowable depths of knowledge. The other was as blind as pitch to the desperately masked bloodlust as the black began to dissolve away the remaining blue tinge. To onlookers, it was like a sunrise. Simply different colors.

There wasn't a reply, simply hurried anxiety to reach forward, to snare the mass of swirling chakra within his own abyss. Hands tattooed black were pulled forward forcefully and secured in one tanned shackle. Red eyes began swirling even faster, nervous murmurs just within his hearing but outside his understanding. Nothing matter. Nothing . It was instinct that drove him headfirst. And the pale column threw back as a scream so terribly beautiful that that was all his universe was made of.

The locked hand was released. The red chains around his wrist pulsing. The other hand was brought up. A thin nail began carving flesh, red lines chasing them shut, pushing away black. And still, another scream was the only thing that existed. Oh, the creatures of the night, what beautiful sounds they make.


	13. Chapter 13

Yo! This chapter's more like filler...so sorry. I didn't realize how short the chapter was until I posted it. Anyay, I've got over 2800 hits! Keep 'em going! Thanks go out to everyone's who reviewed and read so far!

XIII. Rain-washed Grey and Iridescent Pearl

Rain slid off pearl white skin. It clung to his clothing, making him look as helpless as he truly was at the moment. Another ray of moonlight brightened his skin, and the thin red lines shone briefly. Green and periwinkle eyes darted back to study his profile under this new light source and the rose bit her lip. Dark red eyes forced all others away.

The tanned skin was even darker under the silver light. But not the eyes. They shone with a pure heavenly luminescent glow. But the hard set and steel under them and in the mouth's line belied any thoughts of heaven. There was more self-loathe in that single gaze than ever before.

"You did what you had to do. Don't regret doing something right." Shikamaru's words were just a string of sounds as far as he was concerned. The shadow nin never had to deal with this type of situation. Ever. It was a first for him as well. Never before had he relished the sound of suffering and pain as he had those three sinister nights ago. And the bloodlust. The intense desire to rend open the throat that uttered those screams. The pure hatred that followed his first inspiration.

He simply nodded. His eyes were resolutely forward. Never look back. Never regret. Only move ahead. It had been a lifestyle for him once, metaphorically. Now it was literal. He wouldn't look at the avenger he had ruined. Blood-lusted over.

"Naruto." He glanced to the side, meeting Kakashi's eye. The grey was so pale. The man was still suffering from his encounter with black chakra.

"Yeah?"

But Kakashi said nothing. Instead, he gave him a hard glare that simply said, get over it and move ahead. To dwell on this would be a greater distraction than the actual chase.

Blue eyes were blank and that spoke volumes of his insecurity. But then fury bellowed under the icy blue. Kakashi had refused to flinch as it was leveled at him. His own eyes took on a darker grey, a cloud-stained grey, and he sighed.

"Naruto. It is over, now live with it."

"But I'm afraid that it will happen again. And that I won't stay focused on helping him."

Thunder. And the heavens poured. Like Kakashi's eyes, the heaven's were a reflection-less pool of grey-blue. The copy nin wondered briefly if his eyes had once been like the bright sky before the storm, much like Naruto's when the boy was still innocent.

He decided that they had been.

There was no excuse for it but it seemed like a nightmare. Not even the rain was real. Not the lightning. Not the thunder. Nothing was real. But it was too real for it to be a dream. Not even a nightmare.

It was a twisted situation.

The raven stumbled again and Akamaru landed beside Kiba to assist in detangling the raven's wings from the vines that had snared him. Dark blank red eyes simply watched the clawed and scarred hands rip apart the tendrils and mutter absently. Brown eyes flicked to his and then slid to the side as if he was uncomfortable meeting them. It was needless to say that he was. Sasuke hated to be touched and he was willingly allowing Kiba to do something that he could easily have taken care of himself.

Brown eyes shot to the head of the group and the blonde leaning casually against the tree trunk, waiting. Most of the group had stopped what they had been doing completely to watch him release Sasuke. Not that it was interesting in the least, but it was too odd, too weird to see the stoic teen so passive. His eyes narrowed a touch as the blonde released the bundle of red fur that had anchored itself to him and begin walking forward. The last bit of ivy fell and they were moving.


	14. Chapter 14

Yo! This chapter marks the start of the long road. The chapters after this only build up speed until it climaxes in chapters seventeen and eighteen. That's right, I already have the climax done. I'm writing the downward spiral, not without a few surprises though, so don't give up hope. Don't hate me because this is taking a while. Sorry for draging this out. And I know my comparisons are obvious and unimaginative.

XIV. Warm Honeyed Gold and Forest Green

"Their last message was received yesterday and they were still a few days away. But there's nothing we can do but wait and hope the situation isn't really that far outside our control."

"If we had the punk here, we'd have a better idea of what to look for. I've read a few techniques in the past that acted as safeguards but I never heard of a forced possession or erosion like this. But then again, none said what would happen if you mixed them with a Heaven's Seal. Or the Sharingan." Jiraiya popped his back and pointed to a few scrolls. The information was faded on the yellowed paper but as clear as crystal.

Side effects they had listed in their report were, 1, total Possession by Heaven's Seal, 2, poisonous chakra, 3, limit on bloodline traits, and finally, whatever fell into the realm of unexplainable. And that was pretty much everything. No possible way to make a diagnosis. But they had set up the Chuunin Exam Building with the Seal they'd requested. Jiraiya hadn't stumbled upon it in that type of detail before but he'd finessed it as much as he was able. The drawback was that no chakra except the one needed to be contained could touch the barrier. It responded to chakra touch.

"Hyuuga mentioned something about native chakra but we've desecrated the Uchiha manor enough looking for anything to help. For once, I wish the Clans wouldn't leave everything solely to their heirs." She had long ago stripped away the Hokage robes and was relaxing in one of her white tank tops.

"We'll just have to wait and see, Tsunade. And damn if I don't hate that very thought."

"He said five months in that letter. I've got to pull something out of the air by then. We're not going to give up, not for anything." She promised to herself that she wouldn't let another person close to her down.

"What makes you think I was ever going to suggest something like that? But leave it to ol' slippery tongue to make us clean up his messes. It's like being a Chuunin all over again."

"You've got it backwards Jiraiya. Normally Orochimaru and I were cleaning up after you." The teasing light that had warmed the pale amber had dulled to cold honey. "It's a change for once." She muttered bitterly.

Shadows jumped between the dark green forests hidden in the white-haired man's eyes. Nowhere near as frightening as the shadows of the night, but devoid of any other description. They danced in the spaces among the trees and ate away the mirth and brightness. They were stray shadows. Shatteringly haunting.

She let her breath escape from holding it. The exhaled breath was warm to her hand massaging her temple. Her other palm pressed into cool wood and the lightheadedness accompanying her stand felt welcoming to the headache she was acquiring. Groves of green watched her trek to the sky blue that was beyond the glass. She unlocked the catch and let the panes swing open, a light zephyr sweeping inside.

She sighed again, looking over the buildings, the citizens she was protecting. The nin she commanded. The loved ones she let mourn. The children she let grow as orphans. The lovers she let suffer. The families she tore apart. The lives she sacrificed for the greater good. What would happen to this dream when she woke? Would it go away or remain as it is, under the command of another's dream?

A mane of white came up beside her but the vision presented to these eyes was drastically different. He saw vitality. Life. Children proudly growing up, determined to do their best. Families growing closer through all the loss and loving all the more. The ones left behind striving to protect the dream that their love gave their self for. Emerald groves took a slow survey of the honey and cream woman beside him. He saw the same dream in her, whether she recognized it or not. She probably didn't; the image before her lacked the metaphorical sun, leaving her in a land of cloudy skies.

She met his eyes and met the smoldering determination and strength that her stance conveyed unknowingly. She looked weary. He surmised that he looked no better.

"How long, Tsunade, do you think the world would keep spinning if we took the sun's moon away?" He murmured quietly over the laughter, the noise, the evidence of living down below.

She looked unsteady for a moment, losing the strength when presented the worst case scenario. He gave a light grin to her when she recovered.

"I have no intention of finding out. I'm not going to even humor the option." She picked up the case of sake they had left untouched for days, the bottles still as sealed as three days ago. Since the report came in. Since the news that shook the fragile dream that was still clinging to reality.

Nightmares were coming on the wings of the sun's glow.

"Welcome back." Midnight gave the blue depth and clarity. The guilt and hatred had seeped into his skin and he'd come accustomed to it. Enough to let the group pass through the huge gate and inside the village finally.

The raven hung back on the other side, the other participant in this rite. The wings hung limp behind him, brushing the ground as he longer had the strength to fill them with chakra. The marks were a faded black save the trio on his neck, the original. The red pulsed as it came into contact with the hand of its creator. He pulled the thin bindings away from his writs, the symbolic handcuffs. He stepped back into the village grounds and waited.

The raven tested the air for a moment, the black inky pools fogged but understanding. He took a step forward and a brush of cinnamon fur passed him, rubbing his tail briefly in passing. Another step forward and he was only a step away from his cage. His prison. His gateway to freedom. His home and his coffin.

He was finally home.

The radiance that filled her blue sky was eclipsed in that moment. The sun blazed behind the disk of black and a gateway to another place was opened. A creature with black robes, a skeletal figure, a gleaming crescent attached to black iron, a pale horse, and empty eyes emerged from the path opened by the event. He took residence in her world of light, patiently waiting. Ever waiting should she fail and he makes the return journey with the fate of her entire world.

Because if the moon was destroyed, the sun would burn itself out and die too. Taking all other life with it.


	15. Chapter 15

Yo! Over 4000 hits! Hurrah! Anyways, here's the update. Disclaimer's somewhere...

XV. Stainless White and Gleaming Silver

The homecoming had been brief. Joyless. Empty. But the entire Rookie Nine was together again. There had been a brief single moment of celebration to this fact. But it had been too short-lived. Reality conquered their dreams.

The raven had been herded into the Chuunin Arena quickly so Tsunade and Jiraiya could understand. The sealing was as beautiful as it was gruesome. Sasuke walked through the barrier, entering the space as a creature of the void, lifeless and dulled. The chakra bindings were released and the vitality returned. The wings flared first as the chakra marks burned all colors of the red spectrum. The hoarse screams of before had silenced into a quiet suffering. The bleeding lip evidenced to the fact of pain. His skin became a canvas of black and white save his eyes. They burned the raw red of blood, the tomoes spinning threateningly.

"Oh gods…" Honey and cream had dulled and paled. This was disturbing. Everything she'd ever feared or hated given a soul. It was humiliating that a person she had trusted with her life had done this. That they could ever do this to another soul.

"He's beautiful, isn't he? Even like that." Shocked pale gold and composed emerald immediately turned on the other twin-tones in the crowd watching. The red began to dominate the blue but it was clearly Naruto in control. He was as close as he could get to the barrier, watching with the rapture a lover would watch their other undress. She didn't think much of her official duties when she raised a hand to his shoulder. He let her touch but not comfort.

Sasuke had calmed the storm of his chakra, and the grass and trees below slowly began to rot and die around him. Already the very ground of Konoha seemed defiled by this. He closed one eye as he approached the gate, a faint smirk of older times present. Those of the Rookie Nine were still there. As were their instructors. Iruka had tried to rush to Naruto at one point but was restrained by Kakashi. Sakura had moved to Hinata's side, seeking comfort from both her and the taijutsu master.

"I knew I could count on you to do something right for once, dobe." The words had been whispered around the unfamiliar fangs and smirk. "Guess I can trust you to get me some camp gear since I'm staying the night?"

He was fighting to keep the other eye closed. At one point his hand came up and his palm forcefully dug into his eye socket.

"Why does he still sound the same?" She whispered to the mane of white, her medical-mind abandoning her as she listened to his voice.

"I think it's stress. He doesn't know how to handle this type of shit and his mind's slipping back into a form that was acceptable while around the people he used to know." He muttered back. "I think the only ones he'd let see the reality of the situation and how much he's lost control would be his team."

"You're right." They jumped like children caught passing notes in class. The copy nin seemed unconcerned, probably because he'd had a similar reaction earlier. "He really only absolutely trusts Naruto. Or, more specifically, he is submissive because Naruto's so much stronger. The demon chakra's what brought him this far."

"So he doesn't act like this all the time." Jiraiya surmised. "He's shown you his pain, he's shown you the lack of control, but hides it. Like a cat with a wound. They won't let you see a weakness, but throw them in front of their superior, they'll comply. Is it just demonic chakra that's unaffected?"

"As far as I can tell. He had a rather bad reaction when I tried the Binding Jutsu. Presumably, because the Kyuubi's power is unlimited, it can't be affected by the taint." He had descended to a whisper and they'd gradually moved from their subject and entourage.

"We're going to need him Sealed completely so I can tell what exactly is wrong with his body. We need him unconscious, bound and in the bind we prepared at the hospital. Jiraiya set up a sealed room but it would be too weak to have this type on control over him." Tsunade slipped on her profession like she had her Hokage robes earlier today.

"You'll have to ask Naruto to provide escort. I would recommend as soon as possible but, given the circumstances…" Kakashi trailed away and his eyes focused on the younger Uchiha. He was slipping again, the black chakra just beginning to swirl in the spaces he could see with his Sharingan. "Hyuuga."

Byakugans focused on the ruined raven, the younger eyes filled with fear and pain. The elder was already familiar and began to map the pattern.

"It's starting to encroach on the areas occupied by the Sharingan. That is triggering the sporadic lapses. It's why he's holding his eye shut. It's starting to become irritated." Neji moved closer to the Hokage and others. "If you focus your eye on the chakra around his eye you can see what I'm talking about."

All pairs of eyes turned to look at the raven's eyes. But they were sealed shut, his panting the only evidence of discomfort.

"He's hiding his weakness. Even after being confronted by it." Jiraiya mostly murmured to himself. It was hard and bitter, filled with agitation. "Everyone leave. Only Tsunade, myself and Naruto remain."

Whether the fox-boy gave any indication he heard the order went unnoticed. But the Rookie Nine departed quickly, their teachers a step behind, waiting until Kakashi approached to fully remove themselves. The silver-haired man gave them a parting nod and shut the arena door behind him.

"The Anbu, Tsunade." He whispered. She hesitated and then signaled the captain. The white painted mask of an owl stared blankly back at her.

"Set up a perimeter. No one is to come within one hundred yards of this arena. Remove all civilians from the immediate area. The transport course has already been secured, correct?" At the nod, she continued. "We are moving the Uchiha to the Hospital Facility and back here. On my signal, your team will provide any cover we may need. You have my permission to act as you see fit if we lose control."

She felt her soul shrink from the icy blue eyes staring at her. She refused to retract her command and dismissed the Anbu.

"What?" The word sounded sharp and clear in the resulting silence. Neither Jiraiya nor Sasuke seemed concerned at the state of things. One had predicted the outcome and the other was too lost in his own mind to grasp such a harsh contradiction.

"If we lose control of the situation, we will not hesitate to accept the extremes and end his life. He was a traitor, Naruto, and until he has been healed, he is dying. The most humane thing I could do would be to end his life."

The red chakra began to swarm around eyes normally unclouded. The fierce expression remained briefly but as it faded the protective instinct was still evident.

"Do not presume this traitorous, Hokage-sama, but I would not hesitate to fight you for his life. Regardless of the effect upon myself and my goals, I would protect what is mine." The challenge did not disintegrate as the barrier was brought down and chakra infused nails sank into ivory skin. As it touched the faint marks from earlier, they flared to life becoming crimson shackles.

The change was instantaneous. The life seemed to leave the raven and he would have fallen to his knees had tanned arms not caught him. The red never left even as he cradled the broken body to his. The chakra sizzled in the air around them, a virtual battle between red and black. A flurry of destruction, both halves trying to eat the other. Tsunade and Jiraiya led the way, silence and grey skies lighting their path.

Clawed tipped hands brushed aside raven locks of hair, the black strands slick with grease. His skin was swallow and grimy. The odd wings were tucked under the fragile body, and the ribbing was so delicate. He would mourn for the raven only when he chose to die, because as long as it was in his power, he would keep Sasuke to this world.

"Lay him here, Naruto."

He lowered the raven as if he were lowering him upon a funeral pyre. The raven's harsh breathing began to increase, as the gleaming white and silver room filled his vision. His own claws began to sink into the table, marking the stainless silver. Naruto had been moved aside by Jiraiya, disbanding the chakra chains and the white-haired sage began to activate the seals.

Each lit with blue-white chakra, flashing once and then fading to a pale glow. But the effect was enough. The raven's black marks faded to grey against his skin. His breathing never lost pace though, not until tanned skin and red eyes loomed over him. Black tomoes faded along with the blood red and ebony abyss conquerored the space. His breath faltered and then calmed. The raven lost consciousness as the red chakra began to dissipate, taking red eyes and replacing them with blue. Azure orbs filled with steel, starting to understand. His eyes took in the disinfected hospital room and the only other figure in the room, save the two of them.

"I'm going to have to do that more, aren't I? Give myself to the Kyuubi simply to protect him, to soothe the madness." He didn't wait for the sage's answer. He brushed a hand through the greasy hair, feeling delayed contempt for allowing it to exist in this state. "I'd do it, though. Every time. If that's what it took. If it was the only way."

Sage green eyes studied his profile briefly, the actual picture in his mind the two of them, reminding him of the story tales of sleeping princesses. A single kiss waking a hundred year sleep. Or releasing the sleep of a cursed apple. Only, there was nothing as simple in this. But, he watched as the tanned hand brushed ivory skin, tracing greyed lines, protectively, tenderly.


	16. Chapter 16

Yo! I'm leaving for Chicago next week and Spring Break's on the way so I'm uploading this now before I leave! Enjoy!

XVI. Beige Skin Tones and White Gauze

"At least, that's what I've heard."

"What is it to you?"

"He's still a traitor. He should be tried and a just punishment should be served."

"It must be nice, being that delusional. He's a Clan Head and the wielder of the Sharingan. What do you expect will happen to him?"

"What does one have to do with the other?"

A hand covered the others eyes and rubbed the temples. The nurse shuffled anxiously beside her shift leader and began to fiddle with the pens.

"He's going to be let off. It will be an example of the Hokage's leniency and compassion. But in actuality, it's the Hokage being pressured by the clans. They want to preserve the bloodlines and they need a figurehead. It works out best for them to have the Uchiha, because of the Rookie Nine and the fox-child."

"Shh! No one's supposed to speak of that!" The nurse began to dart her eyes fearfully. "What if someone heard you?!"

"Then they would have heard me and it would be too late to report to the Hokage." The shift leader sighed and handed over a few clipboards to the younger nurse. "Take these up to the third floor station. Clock out and go home."

She waited until the nurse left the floor and began to stock another cart. She placed gauze and a myriad of medicines into the compartments and began to push it down the hall. She reached the end and walked through the door on the left. She picked up a compartment and opened the door to the storage cabinet. She carefully arranged them inside and shut the door. She collapsed the cart and locked the door as she left the room.

Sakura collected the supplies the hokage had sent down to them periodically throughout the day. For some reason, the scars around the chakra seals had begun to bleed and fester. It was dangerous what they were doing but she was too far gone to care for the consequences. She was, instead, grateful for her control, for even a single slip that exposed her chakra would mean her death. It had been a near thing earlier when she'd been asked to be the one on duty with Shizune around the clock.

She was careful to avoid touch the scars themselves but still thorough enough to keep them clean for another day.

She ran her fingers through the inky black strands of hair around his chin and pushed them off. She'd washed it at the behest of Naruto, but she would have done it anyway, still did it every day. It seemed to be fading, she was finding more grey hidden under the black front. He would look like Itachi when he was all better again. It was always when he was better again. It was like that always. She couldn't entertain thoughts of otherwise. It would eat at her, like the chakra waiting under the fragile skin for her to screw up and touch the bloody wounds.

"Sakura? I've got the IV ready." She moved her startled glance up to Shizune's eyes and let her have the right side of the table, carefully wielding the needle tip of the IV. She watched the thin sliver of silver vanish into his skin and the heart monitor she attached next filled the room with a steady quiet beep.

Rolls of fresh gauze were stacked on te side table, beside numerous drugs and scalpels. She bit her lip as her mind supplied what each of them could be used for, what they would be used for. It honestly terrified her.

"Tsunade and Jiraiya will be here soon, Sakura, and they're going to get him healthy again." She knew that the older woman was only speaking aloud because she knew Sakura needed to hear those words. If she heard them, she could believe them.

She nodded and gently moved her hands down the raven's left arm, tracing the faded flames. He looked so sickly compared to her healthy skin tone. She paused as she reached the bandages over his wrist and skipped them to thread her fingers with his.

She had ached for contact like this when she was younger. She had yearned to be the one by his side, nothing blocking her way and nothing holding her back. She had loved him so much that it still broke her heart to see his trust in someone else. She could feel him cold under her fingers, and could only think about how she was going to be the one to put the fire back in his spirit. To pull him from revenge and the past.

But he'd chosen that path regardless. He didn't want love, he hadn't needed it. He hadn't needed her. She held back her tears, determined to make it through today without tears. She could only remember the cold light in his eyes, the pain of this, his cold skin against hers, as it had been that day on the bridge. His mock-death then hit her as hard as the death of her love for him. She still cared but she couldn't love him as she had imagined herself to. He'd needed her for something else.

She pulled her face into a determined smile, remembering for each pain a soft laugh and teasing comment. All directed and caused by the blonde idiot who finally brought him home. She wasn't stupid or blind to have missed the fierce protection they had for one another even in these states. She slid her warm beige fingers from his lifeless grasp, imagining for a moment that he had squeezed back. But he was too full of drugs to have even managed that.

"You can leave now, Sakura. You can come back when I call. This may be hard to watch." She met Tsunade's worried but kind eyes meet hers and she smiled.

"I'll be back then." She promised, walking by after the proper respects were paid. She glanced beyond Shizune as she exited as well to have one last look at her angel. She had let the image slip away as desperately as she had been for its remain. The hospital smell, of cleaner and death, permeated the air.


	17. Chapter 17

Yo! I'm back and my vacation is winding down. I would like to at this time interject that if you send me mean reviews you won't get to read the next chapter! I'm writing this in the same where Shakespear wrote his plays, big events leading to the major event and big events before being resolved. P.S. Don't hate me too much because everything works out!

XVII. Green Lines and Black Screens

"How long do you think we have?"

"He said he'd be back from the mission by tomorrow. I want him looking at least a little healthier. We're going to try to open up some polluted chakra channels."

"That might not be the best at this time, Tsunade." Jiraiya gently moved the charts out of her face and directed her attention to his wrists. "They've been bleeding for quite some time and none of the nurses so far have any idea why."

She peered down, leaning over her new patient, fingers peeling away darkened bandages. She gingerly tugged them away, taking dead skin, dried blood and a foul stench with it. His skin was mottled around the fine lines. It looked like gangrene but it was too alive and healthy for that to be the case. Sharp eyes picked apart the chakra flow, catching brackish mauve knitting together skin. Thin courses of scarlet appeared again and again but her eyes were unable to see the actions it took.

"I can't tell where one ends and the other starts." She muttered, she broke open the sterile gloves, scarcely used because the healing chakra worked better skin to skin. They were generally used in the surgery room, and they carried the stench of the room they usually resided.

She felt eyes on her and straightened, offering a pair to the other. "If you're going to stay and help, then wear these. You're going to be acting as my nurse today, Jiraiya."

She smiled slightly at his grimace but he pulled on the gloves.

Thin smooth blades cut apart ugly lines and fragile veins. She skated the tendons very carefully and began to pull back skin, almost able to watch the chakra flow.

"This isn't going to be easy."

"Thank you, Jiraiya, for that insight." She knew she was being short with him but he wasn't being helpful.

"I meant it in a different way. Now, if you pulled your mind away from the village and medicine every once in a while you could see this as what it is."

"What do mean?" She pulled away, eyes flashing dangerously. The sharp gleam in her eyes more brilliant as she was finally in her element.

"I mean, look at the chakra flow." He motioned for her to join him and together they studied the wrist laid open to them.

Slightly rough, tanned fingers wrapped in latex hovered over the mottled skin. They began to trace the flow of the red sporadic chakra. Her fingers stayed away but her eyes were on top of each movement. She worried her lip between her teeth before she finally realized what was happening.

"The red chakra's under his control, isn't it? The fox chakra meshed with his somehow and he's using it. But he doesn't know how to direct it correctly and it's taking its toll physically."

"You know what this means then, don't you?"

Emerald eyes seemed lighter than they had in days. She missed the careful glint even though it only covered the deeper depression. She didn't care to see the groove implanted into his eyes without the sheen of humor glossed over. She preferred the superficiality of his face then. Because she could play the corresponding role.

"We can transfuse some fox chakra and purge his system." She began to rub her temples. "But I have absolutely no idea how we're going to accomplish any of it without killing him, turning him into the human jigsaw puzzle or turning him inside-out."

"Yeah, but at least we know what's happening to his wrists. We need to get it out so we can deal with the rest of his body. If we get him healthy enough to start a purge at least we won't have to worry about starting from this."

Typical Jiraiya. Enough medical expertise to bandage and other minor activities but not enough to understand why they couldn't even begin to clean his body while leaving the infection. It'd be like bandaging a nail inside the body.

She rubbed her temples, reaching over to the tray beside her, picking up a thin needle and tapped the glass to remove air bubbles. She cleaned the area by his neck, the center of the plague, and injected all the contents inside very slowly. The heart monitor stuttered once and then pace resumed at the same steady beat they had been listening to.

Time moved very carefully for them as they continued ministrations to the Uchiha. So careful did time creep that they didn't notice that the evening slipped into the dawn of the next day. Pale gold washed the white walls of the hospital but the room of the slumbering raven remained painted in in a blinding fluorescent glow. Bodies had grown tired but exhaustion was far from touching their minds.

The noise in the room had been retired to the faint beep of the heart monitor and the occasional muttered comment. The red chakra flow had neither been removed or helpful. Every time Tsunade would try to direct a clean flow the area would bleed uncontrollably and she would administer more drugs. She was careful, gentle. She was terrified every time she touched him.

The raven's breath picked up. It became a constant sound, drowning out the faint beeping. Tsunade bit her lip, frantically trying to reattach the torn skin without chakra, trying to stop the blood flow before he suffered from blood loss, trying to purge the drug she had just administered. Jiraiya was on the opposite side, trying the same thing, curse words and angered snarls falling softly from his mouth.

The flow wouldn't cease. The drug would vanish. She pressed the call button, signaling for Shizune. The dark haired woman came frantically, following the shouted orders.

"Get the blood out of his throat before he suffocates!"

"Tsunade! The arteries all along this side have ruptured. I can't get them sealed!"

"Try harder! Dammit! You dumbass kid, stop attacking us! Stop it Sasuke!"

"Lady Tsunade what's going on?! Why can't I get the bleeding to stop?!"

"Clamp them shut then Jiraiya! I can't spare any chakra!"

"The poison's traveling up to the main vein! I can't get the drug to clean out his system! It's only slowing our progress!"

"Lady Tsunade?! The mark! The curse seal, Lady Tsunade!"

"What the hell's happening Shizune?! Trade places with Jiraiya! Tell me what the hell's happening to him, Jiraiya, you old bastard!"

"The damn thing's spreading again! It's all around his left eye! The damn Mangekyo's spinning!"

Heavy panting. Muted screams. Invisible tears of frustration pouring down her sweat-covered brow. Why did this happen?! She'd only injected enough morphine to kill the pain in his left arm! Why had the Seal activated?! Why was he trying to die?!

The beeping became more frantic. It doubled since before, his heart rate spiking along side his temperature. Jiraiya's hands on his throat and face were scalded from the sudden shift. The hypnotizing black lines began to glow red and swirl into more intricate patterns. They shot through his left eye, etching the white around his iris in bloodshot lightning strikes. As they leeched into the Mangekyo, it stopped spinning, and the black lines paused. Everything seemed to stop in that moment, a long steady note that meant his heart paused mid-beat. The blood flow temporarily froze, the flared red lines slowly cooling to black, to match the Mangekyo.

"Jiraiya. Work fast, seal everything. Shizune, the same. I don't know how long this will last but we need to move fast. Get the drug out, get him closed up."

There was…snow. It fell so peacefully, steadily, purely. He stretched out his hands in front of him, marveling at the small cold touches. His unmarked fingers flexed out and then into fists before falling to his sides. The hot, deep black abyss scanned the endless white horizon, feeling affronted and dismayed. This wasn't where he'd planed to go to meet Itachi and his fami-

"Of course it's not. You're not dead yet." The deep rumbling growl behind him was suddenly before him in a flash of red chakra. "I've made sure that you wouldn't do such a foolish thing."

"You're the Kyuubi…" The words were soft, like powdered snow. "Why won't you let me go to meet them? I want to go…" They gradually became hurried, desperate. Childlike.

"It's not the time, little raven. It's not the time because I saw. I need you; I'm not losing this body of your to satisfy your wishes. I've got myself to think about." The fox lazily shut one eye, a smirk showing off the fanged teeth. "This pretty little body of yours will do wonders for me."

"You're in Naruto. I don't know what you're talking about. You don't need me. Let me go."

The sound stuttered. Three sets of eyes exchanged glances and they worked faster.

"I'm wherever my chakra is. And my chakra is inside you, my little raven. And I've grown to like your body, the chakra inside you matches mine so well. You're effortlessly controlling it. Directing it. And that's only a small portion. Think of what you could do with more…"

"Do what? I've done everything I've had to. I'm useless now. I've no purpose. Let me die!" The wind picked up, carrying and magnifying the small voice with epic defiance. The fox shifted, crossing the left paw over the right and tucking his chin over them.

"What could you do with it? You could restart that little clan of yours for one. I could show you how to ensure a Sharingan. Influencing bloodline traits are easy. You could protect this village. You could repay the debt that your brother dropped upon your shoulders. I could restore you to your former glory. Everything could return to the way that it was before the snake. I could make it so."

The fox had closed both eyes, presenting an innocent façade. For a moment, as he looked through the snow fall, he could see the images of the futures flash briefly. He saw himself holding a small baby, the faint black hair and frail little hands reaching out for him. He could see him donning an Anbu mask and serving his home. He could see him returning from the mission to Naruto's side, dropping into his reserved seat at Ichiraku's between the blonde and his genin son. They seemed so real. So perfect. So attainable. They faded just as fast as they came.

The steady sound stuttered.

"That would be all I would ever wish for."

The stutter began to pick up in speed.

"I would sell my soul to you, if you could truly give me that."

Tsunade was frantic, a blur of medical expertise, trying to work out the last bit of the drug. She was so very close. But the sound was losing will.

"I would give anything, everything. Name whatever price. But…Do I deserve it?"

A red slitted eye opened uneasily. There was a frantic look in his eyes as he slowly dissipated in the snow.

"I…I wouldn't. I don't deserve to be a father. I don't deserve a new family. I don't deserve for the people I've betrayed to trust me. I don't deserve life with that happiness. With that freedom."

The fox was gone behind the fall of snowflakes.

The monitor gave a half-hearted beep before stuttering out. It filled the room with another steady, constant sound. A flat line. The breathing had stopped.

Tsunade couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. Shizune and Jiraiya had scrambled for the defibultors, pulling the clothing around his chest open further. Once, nothing. Twice, nothing. The voltage was raised. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

They'd lost him. They'd…lost him.


	18. Chapter 18

Yo! Okay, pay special attention to these next words...Part 1 of 2! The next update will be in thirty minutes! Chapters 18 and 19 are the end of what I consider the climax! There will be more to come! Sorry this took so long! And, if anyone is reading All Bets Are Off, I will update that story very soon, but it's currently playing the outfield as I finish up exams and this other official crap! Enjoy!

XVIII. Golden Savior with Red Wings

"Sasuke!" Naruto had broken down the door, a livid mess of violent red chakra. His entire being was tight, from his eyes to his muscles. He ran forward, to the cold raven's side. Kyuubi was whispering, trying to get his host to listen, that there was still a chance, but the pale and cold body before him was the center of his attention.

No one in the room offered any kind of explanation, knowing that one wouldn't come until Naruto had a chance to accept his death. Tsunade was as still and motionless as she had been earlier. She seemed deep in her mind, at a loss once again, at how to pull herself out of this desperation.

A throaty voice rich with growls continued to plead, insult, and cry, asking for him to return. Too desperate. Too loud. Too lost. Too much! Too much! She ran from the room, only making it halfway down the hall before she collapsed, tears falling and her body propped against the wall.

Red chakra began to seep the room, unnoticeable to the frantic blond. Shizune and Jiraiya took off after Tsunade, gently pulling a shocked Sakura and Kakashi from the room. Whatever Naruto was about to do, it would not be pretty. No one needed to hear that lost soul's pleads and screams.

"There's a way to fix this, kit. Calm down. Come to me." The chakra danced around him and the raven, gently moving inky black strands. Void blue eyes glazed over as he retreated to the voice's owner, throwing himself inside the cage and into the furred chest.

"He's dead, Kyu. He's gone. I couldn't help him. He's gone." The boy seemed pitiful, clinging and sobbing into him, ignoring any comfort or advice. Frustration, sympathy and anxiety rampaged through the sleek fox body.

"Naruto! He's not dead yet! His body has stopped function but his soul's not gone yet. I've trapped him at the crossroads. He has my chakra inside him and he can't die until it runs out. We still have time. But not for much longer if you don't pull your head out of this pity and help! You can save the damn Uchiha, you little usurakontachi."

"I can't. I don't even know how to begin to try." He tried to bury himself in the warm fur that was bristled in agitation.

"But I do. I know how and if you want him back then you better listen up and start. He won't stay there much longer and I'm fading from his body. If you want to help, then face forward, and open your chakra channels. Let me direct your moves."

He hesitated. Not because Kyuubi was dangerous, not because he was a sly and tricky spirit but because he wasn't sure that the fox would do this simply because he chose to. There were a lot of terms and conditions that came with the fox, and granting boons without price was nowhere in the contract.

"Why?"

"Don't ask why, kit, just let me do it."

"Fine." He turned away from the warm body and pressed his palms against the bars, presenting his back to the fox. His hair swirled in the chakra explosion but he felt hot breath on his neck and turned his head to look at the fox. The face that met his was a bizarre mix of his, the Yondaime's, and someone else he didn't recognize. The long red hair fell over one eye, but the one staring back at him was slitted and crimson.

"Kyu?"

"Let me become a true part of you." The throaty voice whispered. Smooth over the fangs.

He hesitated again before he remembered the cause. He nodded, not trusting his voice and let his eyes drift shut.

Clawed hands came around his own, palms pressing his into the bars, and he felt the fox press his humanlike face into his neck and his body against his back. For a moment, he felt the hot skin on his and then it began to sink into him, the hands disappearing into his, the body becoming his.

When he opened his eyes, he was looking through the fox's. Hundreds of memories flashed through him, his senses sharper than they'd ever been. He knew things that he wasn't able to understand. He felt his hand move as of its own volition but realized that it was Kyuubi moving him. They exited the cage, the fox tense in caution. Then, they entered the room, Naruto being truly conscious of Sasuke for the first time since he entered.

"Relax. He's only been dead for a few minutes. His soul's not very far away and I'm sure your kage can heal his body. Don't worry, kit." He was using Naruto's body though, so he was listening to his own voice instead of the fox's. Surreal.

They moved to the door and Kyu shut it, biting his thumb absently and tracing a new symbol over the one beside the door. He traveled to each of the four wall, altering the symbols. He stopped at the raven's left side, removing the machines from his side. He pulled the material away from his top, exposing a paled chest with faded lines.

He began to make four marks again, over his heart, on his forehead, at his solar plexus, and on his shoulder below the Heaven's Seal. He pulled Naruto's jacket off and dropped it on the ground. He took the raven's left hand, bit the thumb and made the same marks over tanned skin, using the raven's blood. It was already congealing but the fox made the signs legible.

He gently replaced the hand and then brought his two together. He held them even with his chest and then began to chant. The words he heard were not even remotely human-sounding. Kyuubi had to have modified his throat because he was making sounds that could not be produced by human tongue. He watched red chakra form around the four marks in the room and then begin to glow on his own body.

The red swamped into the room like smoke, filling it but staying at the bottom. It rose steadily as the chanting increased in tempo. It drifted like fog and mist over the raven's prostrate form, caressing dead flesh. Naruto's hands were moving before his body, over the raven's, making symbols and motions that had no place in jutsu.

"Naruto! Stop whatever the hell you're doing! Get away from him, you idiot!" Jiraiya's voice broke his concentration on his hands, but Kyuubi was undaunted. The old man was outside the door from what he could see and could not come inside. "Naruto! I want you to ignore the fox! Nothing good can come from this! The dead aren't meant to walk with the living! He's gone Naruto! Accept that!"

"His soul remains. The body is failed but the soul remains. We need to call his soul back. Then I can rebirth his body. Trust me Naruto. All will be well. Trust me."

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Trust me, Naruto." The whisper was all he focused on. He knew what Kyuubi knew. He could feel the truth. The concern and ignorance in the others' tones were plain to his ears. He knew something they did not. He could help where they couldn't. He ignored the old man and his teammates as they stood in the doorway.

"Naruto, please. Stop, just stop. Please." Sakura was beyond tears and grief, but they still poured from her eyes. Her voice was hoarse but she still cried for him to stop. She was going to lose them both. Naruto was going to self-destruct. She couldn't lose him too. She couldn't lose them both! Not so soon!

The chanting stopped. The chakra was swirling lazily around the two forms, taking a shape all its own. Two large curves arched back taking the shape of wings. A large twist of smoky chakra became a thin serpent body. It danced in the air above them before sinking into the raven's body. The marks he had drawn began to glow, becoming stronger as each second passed.

"I need you to talk to him now, Naruto. If he won't come back then nothing I can do will force him. Bring him back. For no reason should you fail. I need his soul here, Naruto."

But how? How was he even going to try? He didn't know Ino's jutsu or have Mangekyo.

"That's where you're wrong, Naruto. I have Mangekyo." The chakra in Sasuke's body rose briefly, as if to remind Naruto that it was there. The serpent body settled again, relighting the chakra marks and the black lines surrounding his face glowing red and then edged into his eyes. A tanned hand opened two closed faded grey eyes. As the chakra seeped inside the life returned to the eyes, becoming red and spinning lazily, taking the Sharingan and then the Mangekyo.

"I will wait. Bring him back once again, Naruto." He felt him slip from his own body, being pulled in by spinning eyes.

"Naruto! Come back to us! Naruto!"

"I will, Sakura. I'll bring him back too." That was his last thought; he knew Sakura couldn't hear him.

The chakra creation of Kyuubi's met him in what once was Sasuke's conscious mind. The drab walls lacked the brilliance he knew that Sasuke had tucked away inside himself. It coiled in the air before him, looking hauntingly similar to Manda but a Manda with wings. He followed it, not hesitating to pass rooms marred and unscarred. He stopped as he reached the back room and entered. It was undisturbed save for the accumulation of snow through the sliding doors.

The chakra apparition danced across the opening. As it passed bits and pieces would be sucked in and vanish. He knew it couldn't lead him passed or understand him but he smiled at it reassuringly.

He didn't shiver as he crossed, the air surprisingly warm. He ran through the light snow, a smile etching onto his lips as he saw a figure standing in the distance. The profile was one he had burned into his eyes. The thin waif-ish ill-ridden Sasuke was nothing compared to this one. Al lean muscle, pale skin and inky black ruffled hair. Clear black eyes. He stopped, feeling like he should fling himself into the other boy.

"Sasuke."

Eyes met his and paled lips fell into a frown.

"Dobe."

He nearly swept the boy up into a hug where he stood. This was the Sasuke he'd been after. This was the Sasuke he was bring home with him. The defiant Sasuke who refused to adhere to the rules in favor of his own plans.

"Leave, dobe. I'm going after Itachi."

He just had to convince the bastard to come back.


	19. Chapter 19

Yo! Sorry for the delay! My computer decided to boot me off and I had to get it sorted out before I could log back on! Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!

XIX. A Stroke of Red, A Splash of Blue and A Black Canvas

"I'm not going back. What do I have left there? Go home, dobe."

His mouth twisted into a fond frown. The bastard never paid attention to him until he became strong enough to surpass the avenger. Now, here he was refusing to acknowledge him because his goals were gone. He couldn't win with the raven, could he?

"You never did realize how long I've been chasing after you, did you Sasuke? I've always been chasing you. Even when I'm stronger, I'm still chasing your shadow."

"Then follow it until you die, dobe." Black eyes were hard in a glare, ignoring the stiffen in Naruto's posture. "Feel what it's like to chase someone to the point of death and watch them leave to some place you can't follow."

He winced, letting the raven know his blow struck. "Harsh, Sasuke."

The black eyes blazed. "Why won't you leave?! Hate me?! Just let me go! I never wanted you to chase after me!"

His own eyes steeled over. "Then you'll have to deal with it anyway! I'm always going to chase after you, you selfish bastard! Why would you go and leave us all behind?!"

"I don't owe any of you anything! I have nothing left. Stop talking and leave me the hell alone! You'll never understand!"

"Damn it, Sasuke! Too many people have given up too much for you to even be here! Don't just throw it all away!"

"I never asked for it! I never asked for their help!"

"But you got it anyway! Doesn't that say anything, Sasuke?! Konoha isn't the same without you. Just because you don't want to be here doesn't mean you don't belong, anyway!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to listen to your mouth anymore!" For the first time, Sasuke broke eye contact and turned his back on him. He began running as the snow began falling harder to impede him.

He tackled him, diving them both face-first into the snow, covering them in wet snow. His arms were bands of steel around the raven's chest. He pressed them hard into the snow, locking his legs around Sasuke to stop his struggles.

The raven stilled but he knew better than to let go. Naruto did begin to move him, holding him still from sheer strength and weight as he turned the raven to face him. He locked Sasuke's wrists together and held them at his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"You're not going anywhere, you bastard. Like it or not, you're coming back with me." He was panting because of impulse rather than need. Sasuke looked livid.

"Usurakontachi. You little bitch. I'm going to kill you."

"Don't want to get bored in the afterlife, huh? I told you. You're coming with me. Back. I don't give a damn what you want. I'm owed it. I've worked too hard. I'm owed a little compensation." He forced Sasuke's face to meet his again, holding it still with one hand. The angry flush had darkened and the black eyes were raging. "I've kinda missed getting my ass chewed out, you know."

"Bastard. I'm asking you to let me up and let me die! Please, Naruto. I want to go meet my family. I want to be together again." The angry flush died, the eyes softened, the fight fled out of him. "Why would you deny me?"

Naruto struck him. Once. Not even a punch. It was a hard slap, the handprint bright against his pale white skin. His eyes went blank, mouth dropping open in shock. He stared at the snow beside him. Naruto's hand dropped from his face, coming to rest on the ground beside his head.

"God damn it, Sasuke. God…Damn you. I hate you so much. I hate you. So damned much." His face fell forward on his chest, eyes screwed shut. His hands fisted in the snow, quivering in the anger, frustration and guilt.

Sasuke finally slipped out of his shock, staring up at the blonde above him. The years had matured the idiot's face, making the pain he was feeling more pronounced. The whisker marks were sharper than he remembered. He briefly let his mind drop back to the haunted and pain-filled travel. After all the blood and screams and delusions, he clearly remembered Naruto and the others. He didn't know why they were there when they were but he knew it couldn't have been because of him. No one would travel all that way for a traitor.

"Why would you even want me back? I'm a traitor. I don't deserve to be back and have the people I betrayed to trust me with their lives."

"Why would you betray them again? You said yourself you didn't have a reason to come back. Why even talk about it?"

"Itachi…He never tried to repent for his sins. I wanted death to be his purification and I'm just trying to follow his footsteps. Once again. I've never even apologized for my actions before."

"Don't. Just shut up, Sasuke. Don't hold hope in front of me, you bastard. Don't talk." Naruto seemed to deflate above him, hair falling around his face in drooping spikes.

"Dobe, tell me. Why have you chased me for so long? I don't deserve it. You know don't. I punched a friggin hole in your chest. I've left you for dead. I've used you. I've betrayed you in the worst way. How could you even want me back?"

"You're an asshole and I hate you." He muttered, ignoring the pain in his chest. Sasuke just wanted a few answers before he ran off to be with his family. Leaving him behind once more.

"Tell me, dobe." It was a command in the familiar Sasuke tone that made his blood boil in challenge. It always made him want to do the opposite and he did.

"Screw you, Sasuke. I don't have to listen to you. I told you why. I want you back because I've missed you. I deserve to have you back because you've betrayed me. I want you back to make you pay for it. You owe me a lot you know and I don't want you to renege on your debt."

He pushed himself off the raven, untangling them and sitting to his back to the raven. "The road's that way. Leave already. Forget the fact that I'm trying so hard, that I'm giving up so much, that everyone's been so deeply effected by you. Just go. I'll see you when I die. I'm going back, and I'll bury you in your family grave. I'll live out my dreams and wipe you from Konoha completely. No one will even remember the pride of the Uchiha clan."

"Everyone already remembers Itachi, dobe." His voice was stressed. It sounded pained, and unlike Sasuke that he turned to stare directly at his prone form.

"I'm talking about you, teme. You're the one that continued to bring pride to your name when your brother marred it and you're the one that avenged everyone he's ever killed. You're the bastard who betrayed us. There won't be one after you so the sin will be hidden. No one's even going to remember you. The Sharingan dies with Kakashi. I'm not going to tote around your memory forever, you selfish bastard."

Sasuke's hands had come up over his face, hiding his eyes from view. His shoulders were shaking. But Naruto didn't see. He was brushing snow off as he stood and began walking to the door.

"What's your problem?! You just come here and…and…make me feel so damn guilty! I hate you! Leave! See if care! Just go! Walk away from me! Like everyone else!" His words rang back to Naruto, making him stiffen in rage and indignation. He continued walking as Sasuke continued screaming.

"Foolish little brother." He opened his eyes, meeting equally dark ones. He looked over to Naruto but the dobe was still. Unmoving. Frozen.

"Itachi."

"Get up and go. You're not supposed to be here. You're always trying to do things too soon."

"Hypocrite. You're just as bad."

"I'm also better than you. You're reaching for the moon, little brother. But fangs won't touch the sacred. He's offering you a chance to live for yourself. Not for revenge. Not for the clan. But that scares you. Foolish little brother."

"Shut up, Itachi. I'm not scared of anything."

"Then why stay here? Go back and own up to your mistakes. Otherwise I won't take you to them when you truly deserve to." Itachi flicked his forehead before vanishing like the fox had earlier.

The dobe had started walking again. What was he doing? Why was he hiding here in this place? He really was scared to go back. He hadn't planned on life after Itachi. He expected to die and that would be the end of it. But now…Now the dobe, that stupid little usurakontachi, he didn't want him to go. He wanted him to live.

He stood up, running after the blonde, frantic. Finally chasing someone that he wasn't related by blood to. He tackled him to the ground, this time forcing the blonde under him. He pressed the dobe's unmoving body to the snow, holing his arms tight.

"Would you…" Stay beside me? "Will you…" Never leave me? "Would you…" Help me? "Will you…" Give me all that I need to live again? "Will you…" Teach me how to live for myself… "And for you."

"For me what, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice didn't sound hopeful, expectant. Nothing like he'd imagined. "Speak up, teme."

"Will you…?"

"I will. Anything. Everything. I've already told you."

"But I…" Need to hear it again.

"You're a selfish bastard. Why don't you understand that I can't do this anymore? I can't chase after you forever. I'm not chasing after you into death. I won't follow you that far. Not when you don't want me."

"Instead of running after, instead of chasing, can't we…" Just run side by side? Together? The sentences wouldn't finish. Why couldn't he make the words he wanted to say? Just once.

"How did you get here?"

"Kyuubi. He wants to help me. He wants you back. I don't know why but I can imagine. I know things while I'm connected to him but I don't know what he's doing."

"He was here. He wanted me to stay. He wants my body. Our chakra match almost too well." He settled himself on the ground beside the blonde.

"Like I said, I don't know why. I'm leaving Sasuke. Last chance to leave with me. Are you gonna take it or not?" Sasuke's lips wouldn't move. He couldn't force even the faintest sound. Naruto's voice sounded so…final. He took his silence for a no. "Bye, bastard." For a fleeting moment, he touched the raven's face, fingers tracing a jaw finessed by years of selective breeding. Blue eyes weren't even washed with tears as he realized that this truly was the last chance he had. He brought the still raven's mouth to his and reverently pressed his lips to him.

He didn't shed any tears. He let his hand drift to his side. He brought two fingers of his right hand up and touched his temple in a small salute, grinning once. He took another step and steeled himself for a life without. Sasuke had made his choice. Of sound mind and weighed conscious, he had chosen to go beyond to his family.

Sasuke wasn't even aware he was moving until he collided with Naruto's back and sent them sprawling through the door. His vision was blinded by red, blue and blackish purple chakra. It snarled around him, taking Naruto's sensation with it, leaving him here.

The door slammed shut behind him.

"Well done, kit." The fox waited for his host to return before he made the final seal and opened blue, red and gold eyes. Time for the final step.


	20. Chapter 20

Yo! It's finally done! I've worked out all the kinks and it's all written out! 25 chapters with the epilogue! Stick with me guys, cause it's almost over!

XX. Golden Flames

"I can't get this seal down! Damn it! Naruto! Leave him alone, Kyuubi no Kitsune!" Jiraiya was panting from exhaustion. He'd tried everything, but no human force could break this demonic barrier.

"The chakra's reappeared." Three eyes turned to a stunned Kakashi.

"What are you talking about? Is it Naruto's chakra?"

He shook his head. "The Heaven's Seal. It's back." They turned to stare shocked at the two bodies in the room. Naruto's was still aflame in red but Sasuke's was beginning to wash through with black. It took on a sinister look as Kyuubi turned multi-hued eyes to them. The blue and red swirled together around golden slitted pupils.

"Just be patient. It won't be long now and they'll both be back."

"You can't bring back the dead!" Tsunade was still a mess but she was desperately strong. To save Naruto from that damn fox's influence.

"You can't. But he's not truly dead. His body began to waste but his soul was still near. I can call him back and I have. Be patient, humans." The Kyuubi smiled Naruto's pinball-smile. The one that lit up his face like a bonus game.

The raven's body twitched and stirred as functions were commenced. The black lines began to become prominent again but so did the red marks. The according seals on Naruto's body began to hue gold. The chakra collected in his mouth, twin fangs sharpening into golden spikes.

He moved to stand at the raven's head, lifting him carefully and relaxing his back across one arm. With the other he tilted the raven's head so the throat was exposed. The flesh was charring and bleeding. The red chakra eating itself physically as it purged his system. The skin around the Heaven's Seal was bleeding profusely, coating his shoulder in blood. The fox locked eyes with honey-paled gold and she froze.

"When I do this, the raven will require severe medical treatment. His body will be weak. He won't even be able to breath on his own. I suggest you bring the necessary equipment. Hurry."

She didn't even think twice about obeying. She simply ran, grabbing Sakura and Shizune, and rushing to the floors above.

Naruto's mouth hovered briefly over the tender flesh, a few breaths hitting the skin. Kyuubi hesitated as he felt his host making a fuss inside his mind.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"The infection's caused by this mark. As long as it remains, so will the black chakra. To cancel it, I'm transferring a piece of myself into him. That's why we needed his soul. He has to be willing. I couldn't just clean it out and be done. I'm making sure it stays away. It's infected those eyes he's so fond of as well. I've got the energy to spare."

"You're going to be inside him too? Like you are in me?"

"Not quite. It's like a small door. That room you were in before you entered between? I'm only allowed inside there. I can't go any further."

"But why? Why would you help me? Him?"

"If I didn't do anything, kit, I would have begun to rot away. My chakra is always in motion. Being sealed and stationary goes against my being. But if I expanded my capabilities, I wouldn't. Being inside the raven, I can help you and help myself. I'm not doing this out of love. I'm doing it out of profit."

"But you're still doing it. Just, don't hurt him."

"I can't make any promises. I'm binding a portion of my soul." The fox brought his hand up in a familiar sign and four Narutos appeared. They took stations at the four seals on the room. Tsunade appeared at the doorway, pushing heavy machines effortlessly.

His fangs slid into the soft skin as smoothly as a knife through water. The golden chakra poured from Naruto, and the lines glowing black began to turn gold, shining brighter than the sunlight. The image of the two of them, intertwined together shining with golden light wouldn't be forgotten by the five outside the room.

The lines began to reverse their travel, being drawn to his mouth. It looked like Naruto was drinking veins of light from the dark angel. They paused as the last bit of light faded away. Naruto drew away from him, easing his body to the bed and wiping his mouth. He placed a hand over the mark and pressed down, the golden light beginning to glow again. The raven's body arched under the touch and his head violently hit the table as a scream was tore from his throat. Not a cry of pain. Of rebirth. Life.

The red chakra vanished from the room, the seal and the clones vanishing with it. Naruto's knees hit the ground and he barely caught the edge to keep from hitting his head on the table. Tsunade, Sakura and Shizune were frantically attaching machines to Sasuke, the steady beat of his heart filling the room. Jiraiya and Kakashi had scooped him up, moving him from the raven. He wavered between them, feeling like all different types of hell warmed over.

"Sorry about this but I can't stand the taste." They held back his hair and jacket as he threw up into the wastebasket Kakashi stuck under his nose. He was sweating and gasping as his stomach emptied everything he'd eaten before trying this.

Jiraiya's lips were drawn tight in anger. He was going to yell at the kid for acting so recklessly and impulsive, for listening to that damn fox. But not now, not when he was so pitiful. Later, he would yell at him. Now, he wanted answers.

"What the hell has that damned demon done, Naruto?"

Pale blue eyes looked up at him. "He's keeping him safe. Watching over him. He's brought him…back." Unconsciousness pulled him in and left them holding his lax body.

They exchanged glances. How to tell the people that the fox brought back the raven from the dead? Sakura was near to hyperventilating. Shizune looked pale and seemed only to be standing by sheer strength of will.

The wings had vanished with the black lines and instead of the three awkward spots on his neck, there was a faint spiral, oddly reminiscent of the Kyuubi Seal. She brushed a fingertip over the mark. The warm skin under her hand only moved with his breathing. He looked like he'd undergone months of healing in the space of a few hours.

She looked over at the other patient they had now. He looked a little pale and pathetic but healthy. She offered the rest of them a tentative smile, receiving a few light-hearted and exhausted nods.

"We'll carry him up to his usual room. I guess when the Uchiha can be moved, we'll move him there too." Jiraiya and Kakashi rearranged him to that they could carry him comfortably between the two of them.

"We really won't have any idea what the fox has done until Naruto wakes back up, will we?" Kakashi sighed as he looked at the fox-child unconscious between him and Jiraiya. Tsunade nodded and agitation flashed through her eyes.

"I don't want to push him until he's better. I'll let it last tonight and then tomorrow, he's explaining everything." She touched a minty green hand to his forehead, easing the queasy look on his face that the fox didn't take care of. She surmised that the demon was too exhausted to spare the energy.

"What were you thinking? How could you, Naruto? I don't care what you promised me. How could you risk everything like that? Do you even know what that thing did? What if Sasuke's never going to be the same? How could you do that?"

She was brushing the blond hair off his face, her other hand hopelessly crushing a daffodil. Her pink hair was disheveled and hung limply around her face. Her tear tracks had long since dried and but they were still paved down her cheeks.

"He did it because he couldn't let go. Like you can't Sakura." The platinum blonde in the doorway had her signature rose carefully clutched in her hands. She shut the door behind her and cast an affectionate glance at the other blonde. The clear vase on the table already had a small purple iris, meaning Hinata had stopped by, and she added her white rose into it. "You need to forget it, Sakura."

"But you didn't see them! It was like a fairy tale! I wanted…I wanted to be the one to rescue him! I wanted to save him. You weren't there! He doesn't even need me! How can he not need me?! I love him! I love him! I…I..love…" She collapsed in the chair, the tears renewing. The daffodil fell to the bedspread, destroyed and ruined.

"I bet it was beautiful."

Rose-tinted hair parted and piercing green eyes looked up in shock. Light blue eyes met hers evenly before breaking away to look at Naruto's calm face. She traced the three lines on his left cheek with three of her fingers before looking back up to Sakura.

"Sasuke wouldn't be rescued unless he wanted to be. You were always giving him a choice, Sakura. With someone like Sasuke, you can't give them choices because they'll always break your heart. They can't help it. He doesn't understand that we would miss him; he's so focused on his family. Naruto…Naruto didn't give him a choice. He wouldn't let Sasuke break his heart."

"I don't understand you, Ino. That doesn't make any sense. Naruto doesn't love Sasuke, not like that. He promised me that he would bring him back. He promised that he would bring him back to me. Only to me. We were going to be happy. He'd forget about his revenge. He'd be the perfect husband." Her voice was hoarse and weak. Doubts. Delusions.

"Do you remember the first time you saw him when he looked that way?"

"He looked horrible. I couldn't stand to see him that way. My heart breaks even thinking of him in that agony."

"How did they look together?"

She looked up at her best friend. There was a gentle light in her eyes. She looked as reborn as Sasuke had hours ago. There was a healthy glow to her skin now. Something she had lacked until recently.

"They were perfect. They looked like they belonged together. I hated that they looked so perfect." She looked up at Ino. She looked truly happy. "Weren't you in love with him too?"

"Once upon a time. But I realized it before you did. Naruto's the only one that's tried so hard. Naruto's the only one who's ever reached him. I want him to be happy. His dream of being Hokage isn't something I could help with, that he has to do on his own, but I can help him keep Sasuke. I've been talking to everyone."

"What for?"

"Sasuke's still a traitor. He may be the head of his clan but he's still a guilty man. Don't tell me you've forgotten. All of the Rookie Nine have been playing a petition. There's a lot that we can't do but our parents, they believe us. They've seen what Naruto has done for us, what he'll do for our village, and they know how far he'll go to help his friends. We don't have everyone's support yet because of the fox. But we're still trying."

She looked down at her hands. They were calloused but so much softer than his hands. Than either of their hands. She looked at the crushed daffodil on the bedspread and then the vase that both of the girl's donated their love to. She felt cheap.

"We need to hurry, Ino."

"Why Sakura?" But she was already at the door with a smile. She knows what put the healthy glow in the other woman's skin. It wasn't love for the raven or the fox. It was pure happiness that brightened her skin. She felt that her own could use a little golden sheen.

"The hospital visiting hours are nearly over and I need to get from your shop back here before they're up."

She cast a look behind her. She looked forward and bit her lip, bringing her hands up and wiping her face clean. She looked back at him and sent him a true smile.

"I'll always support you, Naruto. Just give me some time to adjust to this. I can't help but love him. But…I guess it's still nothing compared to your's though." She slumped on the doorframe. "I'm going to stay out of the way. I'll help you however I can. Don't break his heart and I won't let anyone get in the way. Do that for me."

The door shut, sounding final.

Twilight washed the room's walls. The window was left open, letting a breeze in. It ran invisible fingers through rows of sunlight colored hair before it danced around the vase. The light shot through the crystal and made ever-changing images dance on the table. It caressed the flowers in the vase. As daylight slipped away, the sun remained behind in the form of gold and orange daffodils. A single pink rose beside the other rose and iris was left as a calling card.


	21. Chapter 21

Yo! Here's something that will please you all...All chapters will be up before June is over! No thanks necessary.

XXI. White Stalemate

"What did he do?"

"His body was dying. I guess you could say he was already gone. But his soul, Kyuubi had stopped his soul before it cut all ties to his body. He used the chakra already in Sasuke's body to make a bridge between us and he sent me to bring him back. I didn't think I could. He was so determined to go. I don't know what changed his mind but he came back. Kyu put a bit of himself in Sasuke so that the Heaven's Seal wouldn't work anymore. He's still trapped in me, but he can give Sasuke the power to fight."

He smiled up at Jiraiya and Tsunade before looking across the room to the raven still asleep. His smile dropped a bit but it fell only into a content expression. Worry was lighting his eyes when he looked back to them.

"This won't help him, will it? The fox being in both of us. Him especially."

"No, Naruto, it won't. But I think we can make it work. Sasuke brought down Sound. He may not have realized it at the time but the chaos caused by Orochimaru's death and the death of most of Oto's shinobi reigned in a large amount of civil unrest. Akatsuki's destruction just cleared the path. Whatever debt he has left could be worked off with cofinement in the village and hard labor."

Tsunade kept her mouth shut about the petitioning his friends had done on his behalf. They were strong, well-respected shinobi from honorable families. They couldn't persuade the council to change their minds or hold sway over their fate but they were cushioning the inevitable backlash to their return. They were easing the public's hatred and suspicion for Naruto and Sasuke.

The raven stirred briefly, brushing a hand across the bed sheets, fingers flexing before relaxing in a loose manner. His brow was pulled down in agitation and his fingers flexed again. Both his hands suddenly clenched suddenly, the knuckles going a sharp white and red before he shoot up, fists slammed onto the bed, panting, every nerve buzzing. He brought a hand up to his neck, clenching, trying to hold back the pain he expected. As none came, he relaxed slowly, eyes widening as pure hands fell away from his neck. He studied them, turning them over slowly, then frantically moving the hospital top to expose more skin.

His breath shook as he uncovered more and more white flesh. He ran his fingers over the unmarred skin, tracing the imaginary lines. He felt his back, searching for wings but discovering scars, raised in their unique shape barely there. Soft near laughs escaped his throat, a crazed but delighted quality to the tone.

He felt his face with a gingerness that he hadn't displayed earlier except for the study of his hands. They ran over the skin under his eyes before skimming so, so, gently over the closed eyelid. He flinched, again expecting a cruel slice of pain, but receiving a buffet of warmth. Limply, his hands fell back to his lap, his body relaxing completely. There was a stillness about him that suggested deep thought, meditation, helplessness.

"Kyuubi's generally good about keeping his promises. He said it would go back to before, right? Even though he's a selfish, sneaky, twisted, rude, obnoxious, perverted old coot, he always keep his word. Most of the time, anyway."

He shot a surprised glance, across the room, meeting pacific blue eyes. He was also surprised when he felt warmth pool around his left shoulder.He gripped it, a confused expression melting away to shock and slight fear as he felt a voice in the back of his mind, whisper, "Watch your mouth, kit, I may not do another favor."

"What was that?" His voice was hoarse, barely audible over the sound of the heart monitor. "Was that…?"

"Kyu. Guess it'll be hard to have private chats if we can both hear the old bastard."

"Why can I? What did you do?"

A rough voice, touched with age, experience, rougish humor. A soft purr or growl. "I have violated every sense I have. Every moral I have possessed and my right as Youkai King. It's an old tradition among elder demons and their mates."

"…Mates?" The hoarse voice coughed over the last bit and rubbed his throat plaintively. "What are you talking about? Mates?"

"Not the two of you. The jutsu that I preformed to save you is to what I am referring. It's an old practice, long since dead. When all demons were as strong as I, in the time before you humans, mates would bind their souls together to survive. There was an infinite amount of power available because of this. Human souls are so weak and rot so quickly that I couldn't very well bind you together. And I needed another outlet. Think of it this way, you have access to an endless store of energy, I keep you sane and healthy, I give you a means of contact, and you in turn keep me alive."

White hands moved to a pale throat and temple, pushing slightly. Gentle bursts of warm chakra, spiced like a flame, aged, raw, bubbled against the pads of his fingers. They fell away and he cradled them in his lap. Both voices had stopped, blue eyes looking at him solemnly.

"This was the only way to save you, Sasuke. The demon is the price you must pay to have this life. I'm sorry." Here the strength faltered and they shifted to the side. "But I'm also not. I'm just as selfish as Kyuubi, Sasuke. Don't hate me. But I'm not letting you go."

There was a clarity in the pools of abyss that he hadn't seen in such a long time. If he could fuel strength into his legs, he would go over to the raven and touch the unmarked skin. Eyes tipped to the throat and felt a smal wave of satisfaction and possession. The ragged and slightly dark spiral proud as a lover's mark. A wry smile shaped his lips as he realized more truth in that statement.

He could feel the emotions of the other, dulled and barely there, coming through a demonic filter. The machines around him suddenly drew his interest, finally recognizing and hearing the noise.

"Why am I hooked to this? I feel perfectly fine." His throat was still scratchy with disuse and he looked plaintively for a glass of water or pitcher.

"At least one of us feels that way. I've been queasy and exhausted since." There was a feeling of helplessness. He was so used to aiding the raven that he wanted to summon the energy to fulfill whatever task the raven desired. Being stuck in this bed, watching the other struggle, in discomfort, only served to raise his hackles and become ill at ease.

Again he felt those eyes on him and met them steadily. "Dobe. Naruto." He sighed in exasperation as the other teen began to struggle in his bed to reach the pitcher of water on the table beside him. The blonde wasn't going to make it out of the bed, let alone across the room, carrying the pitcher and glass. "Stop. I can get it myself."

"With that stuff attached? Not likely." He was grumbling, pissed at his own incompetence. Why couldn't he get up?

His stomach dropped and his heart plummeted when he heard the flatline and immediately turned to the other, scream already in his throat. He calmed only marginally when he saw the raven stading beside the bed, the atachments dangling off the bed and the grimace on the raven's face.

"What are you doing?! Get back in bed!"

He was ignored and the raven held onto the bed and simply stood, regaining balance. He felt lighter, not only because he didn't have to haul around wings but in spirit too. He knew it wouldn't be painful to walk that small distance and he was thankful. More so than he could ever belive.

He tottered on unsteady legs, feeling tiredness and dizziness beginning to settle. But he took deep breaths, shuffling forward, pleased that he was managing but disgusted that he was so happy for such a minor accomplishment. Rehabilitation would obviously extend to more than shinobi abilities.

He reached out blindly as he wobbled, catching hold of a tanned hand and balancing himself. He walked the last few feet to the table and used his free hand to pour a glass of water, raising it to his lips and slowly swallowing, coating his throat in coolness. He closed his eyes, feeling the dizziness vanish and the hand in his tighten briefly. He placed it back clumsily, the harsh sound making him flinch.

"Don't even try going back. You'll probably fall and I couldn't catch you." He intoned bitterly. The very idea affronted him. The raven seemed to agree because he fell onto the bed with no argument. The small bed wasn't made for two but Naruto turned on his side, feeling Sasuke turn to watch him.

Blue eyes closed in grudging contentment and reveled in the fact that he finally had him back. The moment was savored, and he was only slightly startled when he felt lean fingers squeeze him back. To both, the other was the only anchor in this world, the only constant. The other hand he had been lying on came up, holding the tanned hand between.

The light and gentle caresses warmed him, banishing his doubts and irritability. He relaxed, the tension he hadn't even felt uncoiling. He didn't even start when he felt the raven move closer. The faint touches lulled him better than any lullabye but he still heard the raven's breakdown.

"Another chance. That's all I ask for. Let me make everything up to you."

He knew he startled the raven when he tightened his grip, brought up his other hand and turned the avenger into the curve of his body, arms around him protective, possessive, reassuring. He didn't say anything but let the drugs finish their course, finish letting the unbalanced hormones and disoriented mind seek their own release. The soft tears that ran over careful cheekbones, chapped lips and a crafted jaw. He felt them on his own arms, wet the bed sheets. He just pressed his face into a fragile back, feeling the scars.

"Just one more chance, Naruto. I want one more chance so much. I want to take back everything I've ever done to hurt you. Just give me one more chance."

The desperation moved in like a tide, drowning the fox and the blonde in the bitter taste. Dark red eyes looked through their portal forlornly. But it was something that needed to be worked out of his system before he could accept this new life. Blue eyes were screwed shut, obviously wanting to release the floodgates but the tears had dried up long ago. This wasn't his time to shed tears.

It was Sasuke's.

White hands were clenched around two tan ones. A white body cradled against a tanned one. Greyed black hair mixed with golden yellow. One set of lips curled into a faint smile. Another set in faint line.

The commotion had drawn Tsunade and Shizune, Jiraiya behind them. Neither boy had noticed when the machines had been stopped or when the blanket had been drawn up to their shoulders from where it had fallen in Naruto's struggle.

She ushered them outside, letting them keep this bittersweet moment private. She couldn't stall forever. Outside, the shadow moved, the rider, discontinuing his vigil, went with it and took his ill-will with him.


	22. Chapter 22

Yo. Enjoy. Sorry it's so damn confusing.

XXII. Bittersweet Green Grass

It had been forever since he'd felt the dirt under his fingers again. He pushed down hard, for a moment feeling the muscles harden as they took on his full weight and then locked. They released as he launched himself out of the back flip, then coiled in preparation as they released a volley of kunai. He felt his muscles bunch and then relax as he followed through what looked like a dance, one that wove through kurai, shuriken, wire, flames, trees. He heard a whistle and then a gust of air, but it had passed by harmlessly.

The ground was shattered under him, even as a barrage of water was shot at him and kunai rained down. He panted, placing one hand in front of the other and releasing a half-done katon jutsu. The water sizzled into vapor, dampening the ground and he was using an earth-style jutsu to block the kunai. He shook mud from his bangs and sweat made his clothing stick to his skin.

He felt the blow hit him it the side but rolled with it, moving below and swiping out his leg. A hand clasped his leg and swung him into the air, something hit him midair even as he blocked it. He let a fraction of his chakra go as he felt the familiar sensory awareness that accompanied the Sharingan.

He froze, locked in a silent battle of wills as another red eye stared back. They swirled lazily before becoming blurs, a mimic mimicking a mimic. The leader in this little game was unknown as they moved flawlessly. They were lost in a blur of speed, each second lasting longer. A resounding crash sent them apart and white hands were full trying to hold back a whirlwind of tanned flesh.

The hits were brutal, nothing like he'd dealt with before and he wondered if it was because the blonde had matured or if he'd gone too long without the nostalgic sensation. His knuckles were cracked, bruised and bleeding by the time they separated and went back to dodges and kicks. There was a purpose in this exercise but he had let it drift to the back of his mind, focusing on only the moment at hand.

That warmth was back, clashing irritatingly with the cool chakra he was feeling. He pushed it back, grasping more of the cool chakra, hands flying into a combination that had been neglected as of late. The cool air became warped space as it crackled around him, a chirping sound filling the air. He didn't even flinch as he ran straight ahead to the core of the hurricane, slicing the air as he ran. It felt more controlled, obedient, under his hand but no less lethal. Merely complacent, like a serpent. They clashed. The air was bright and shining with chakra, practically singing with power when all of it abruptly vanished. He fell back onto the scarred ground, eyes latched on a single white piece of cloud.

"Very well done. I don't think there will be another need for a demonstration." The voice wasn't addressing either him or the two stretched out on the ground an equal distance away. It was directed to the honey blonde decked out in robes who was cooly observing from her place in the stands.

"Thank you, Councilman." Her answer offered nothing.

"We will confer over what we have witnessed of his progress so far. As of today, however, we are not opposed to allowing freedom in Konohagakure."

It was literally translated as "he's allowed in the town but not out the gate" but it was satisfying. A tanned back was bare for the world to see and popped in a decidedly gruesome way as he stretched. He shot them a grin and received twin glares, only lacking a true hostility as they were filled with amused un-amusement. An older voice sighed but in good nature as he collected his rag-tag group of a team.

A black jacket was tossed his way, and he pulled it on in feigned contempt. He ruffled the lapels and flashed them a grin, crowing to the streets his accomplishment.

"Naruto! We never agreed to that!"

"Oh yes you did! And he was the first one of us to use it! I won so I say onward! Ichiraku's here we come!"

"I thought we said if it was a draw we would let Kakashi decide." That had been the deciding sway for no one to hold back. The last restaurant Kakashi had pulled them into still had them turning green at the mere thought. The three exchanged looks as they walked, two looking more pensive at the back of the third.

"It doesn't make any difference. We would have gone there anyway. I always thought it was just you that loved that poor excuse for nutrition. Now I realize you were so awful because it was the fox that wanted it. Of all things…"

His tone had just enough humor and laughter that they both burst out laughing, Naruto even good-naturedly side-stepping the tease. Sakura just smiled and fell back into step, letting Naruto and Kakashi trail them. Neither minded, one too involved in the book and the other too involved in the stark changes a simple work out had left behind.

His eye critically and clinically dissected the Uchiha's stride and being. He was using the Kyuubi chakra like Naruto was using, to heal. Both had refused to touch it, agreeing as soon as he had found words to say it, that it would be a violation to Kyu to use a mating bond as a well of power. It was a bond of faith and trust and it seemed natural to use it to heal when they struck.

"So Sasuke have you found out what it looks like yet?"

He shook his head as politely as he was able as he slurped up noodles. Naruto was less dignified beside her but also being ignored temporarily so it wasn't a matter.

"Manda wouldn't tell me. He said he hated the very sight of it because it reminded him too much of ungrateful little foxes." He smiled only slightly but the humor was heavy.

Her smile was broader. "I think it's cool. Much more effective than the Mangekyo."

He brought a hand up to his left eye, letting Sakura catch the small smirk as he touched it. She giggled good-naturedly. Naruto was waving for another bowl. Kakashi chuckling over his book, as they had already suffered yet another disappointing attempt to see under his mask. He turned forward, raising his hand as a sign for another bowl.

He activated the Sharingan and stared down at the clear pond water. Behind him, he could hear the blonde cluttering about the kitchen and talking aloud to himself. He leaned over the water and let his eyes drink in the mismatched sight. One Sharingan spun black and red, the other swirled lazily gold and black. It honestly terrified him.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke. We've got a mission tomorrow."

He extinguished the candle on the bedside table, looking over to the other futon. The dobe had pulled the blankets over his head and curled into a small ball. He released the Sharingan and placed the mirror down. He couldn't use it in battle any longer. As soon as he saw it for himself. He couldn't explain it to himself. Not to any person actually.

"Don't come any closer!" The air around him buffeted them away before sizzling with orange and red streaks of chakra. The wings behind him flared, undulating his uneasiness. Claws were digging themselves into his palms in an effort to keep them from his face. The Gold Sharingan whirled speedily as it burned his skin.

"Stay away!"

His claws found their way to his face and he tore into the skin under his left eye. He tore the burning skin to ribbons, destroying the entire left side of his face. An angry growl was ripped from the blonde's throat and he began to leech power from the avenger. The wings melted back into his body, the gold lines receding to the spiral again, the claws vanishing, the fangs gone. He was a human again, with human aches and pains. With human emotions. He held his healing face in his palms and sobbed.

Tanned arms lifted him from his huddle on the ground, shielding him from the sight of the bodies he'd broken. Sakura and Kakashi were still waiting for them to return.

"He can't be allowed any more missions until he can control that damned eye."

"I understand." Grey eyes were darker than the clouds above their heads. The rain came down.

"I won't let you touch him."

"I'm not taking him away, Naruto. I need to give him an exam. I need to know why he went berserker. I can't allow him to rejoin you if he can't control himself."

"I can control him."

"Can you control his emotions, Naruto? Can you stop him from feeling guilt, sorrow, pain? Can you stop him from blocking out both you and the Kyuubi?"

The doorframe broke as he allowed her to pass. The blonde woman was passing green chakra hands over his prone form. The fox was stirring angrily under his skin, feeling more irritable as the minutes passed.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. There isn't anything physically wrong." Her hands were wringing the life out of the medical sheets.

He felt the fox aching to be released and his temper becoming shorter. "Kyuubi knows." The fox over-road the blonde and the scarlet eyes froze her blood to the core.

"Fetch the Hyuugas. And Kakashi." The fox had released a surge of chakra into the room, nine tails of chakra dancing behind him.

"Why?" Her eyes were narrow, focused angrily, warily on the blonde with red eyes. A slow smirk spread over his face, wrinkling the whisker marks.

"Because I'm going to blind the raven and I need them here to keep him from killing himself."

The clipboard clattered to the floor.


	23. Chapter 23

Yo. I'm so incredibly sorry that the last chapter was jumbled and confused. I had honestly thought I had modified it, I did that to all last five chapters believe it or not, and I thought had fixed it. To everyone who had difficulty, I am greatly apologetic and deeply ashamed. Hopefull, this chapter is more clear, I read through the last three five times before I was satisfied. Please forgive my mistake and don't credit it to my remaining chapter unless they truly deserve. The yaoi is fairly light through these last chapters and if it offends you, I am not sorry and claim all rights to Fanfiction writing and artistic liberty. So there. Enjoy.

XXIII. Grey Crossroads

It was like delicate porcelain under his rough fingertips. He traced the slightly curved jaw line lovingly, swiping a finger under the bruised flesh around the raven's left eye. The blinding as Kyuubi called it finally starting to heal.

He didn't understand what Kyuubi had done. The simplest explanation he was offered was that the fox's chakra wouldn't mix with the raven's natural chakra around a sensitive area like the Sharingan. Sasuke's body was resisting, creating a mismatched pair of Sharingan eyes. It was impossible to control. Kyuubi merely cut the chakra flow in two. Sasuke's remained around his Sharingan and mixed with the Kyuubi chakra at a much safer gate, the one in the stomach as this was a very solid chakra anchor.

He could still see it. In his little isolated place behind Kyuubi's bars. Neji's hands shaking. Kakashi white as ash. Fingers, his own damn fingers, growing claws and piercing that beautiful skin. Cutting that delicate spiral. Rippling golden chakra away from that glowing sun. Sasuke's scream. The thrashing. Hinata termbling too bad to continue. Neji drawing strength from some inner pool they were not privy to, to finish using his chakra and Byakugan to piece apart the chakra flow, to bloody his hands as Sauke writhed under their hands in agony. Kakashi's eye spinning in a blur, Sasuke's crazed gaze fixed on him in some manic wish. His fingers. His hands which had cradled that marble skin, ripping it apart and leaving it for someone else to care for. The anguish that had tears running down his face as Kyuubi ignored and mutinied his own body against him. The frustration at only being allowed to strain behind heavy bars that bound him in place, warring between his terror and his desperation for his raven's safety.

Sasuke had remained asleep as they finished. Kyuubi's main concern had been him not surviving the procedure. The fox had been worried that Sasuke would lose his will and the strain would kill him. That furry bastard knew better than to tell him this. That damn fox was more worried for what would happen to his plans than Sasuke. He wanted to hate him. He tried to, but that fox had saved him. Through selfish reasons but he had saved him. He still wanted to hate the demon.

There was a soft sigh against his fingertips as he brushed pale pink lips. They were chapped and unlike what he could recall Sasuke's lips ever feeling like, the only point of reference being the unfortunate accident in the academy. He pulled his fingers away and wrapped his arm instead around the other's waist, pushing his nose into the faintly peppered hair at the base of the raven's neck.

Sasuke shifted in his arms, but not enough to make his hope rise. Sasuke had been sleeping for three days and showed no signs of waking. But he had grown dependent on Naruto's proximity. He fell into a near death state each time Naruto left for more than an hour. Tsunade proposed that the chakra flow worked better when physical contact was endured. Naruto offered no complaint. He would have similarly refused to leave the raven's side even if he was unneeded and healthy.

Sasuke's body moved again, settling into the curve of his body and fitting perfectly. It took a Herculean effort not to slide that lithe body more firmly against himself. The raven was still for the rest of his waking moments and then Naruto lost himself into a dreamless sleep.

A sweet smell, like fresh grass. A soft touch, like a gentle warm breeze. A soft sound, like the rustling of trees. A sweet taste, like cold cheery ice. His eyes fluttered as he came awake in time to see a pale face moving away. Dazed, he brought the other back down, touching their mouths together, but going no further. He cupped his palm around the jaw's slight curve, smiling as a cool hand covered it.

They parted, the raven hovering over the fox. A smile brightened blue eyes. A tug at pale pink lips answered.

"Morning, sleepyhead." A tanned hand ruffled the black and grey hair. He was slapped away, a frown morphing the raven's mouth.

"Don't do that."

A blonde eyebrow raised. A smirk graced his lips again as he snuck the other hand around Sasuke's waist and flipped him, pulling his back against his front. He held the raven still as he struggled, chuckling as the Kyuubi began to perk up and supply innuendo. The blush around Sasuke's cheeks vanished as he elbowed the fox's stomach and slipped out of his hold.

"Naruto…" He growled. Blue eyes had met his immediately, briefly disregarding his laughter. Then they dropped to his neck, taking satisfaction in the spiral that was bared to his sight. A smaller, fainter mark was on the raven's stomach, though he was yet unaware. It wouldn't be visible, unless activated, by anyone but himself and the raven.

There was a brief meeting. A brief battle. A brief exam. Everything was perfect. He was put through his paces once more, activating two blazing red Sharingan this time. But more precise than before. The flow into Mangekyo was seamless, the world around the scarecrow transformed to one of negatives. A single second passed in the outside world but to the two inside the Mangekyo it was decades. An understanding was met. A brief second of remorse and then…nothing.

It should have been more dramatic, he felt. The dust that had covered the Uchiha manor in his absence had been washed away. The money that had been left in an untouched fund donated. Priceless jutsu scrolls given to the Council. The broken doors to his father's library repaired. The fence around his mother's garden was repaired, the land tilled and renewed, the air began to carry the rich smells of spice. It was as though a goddess of tranquility had touched the once-deserted manor. The empty homes that lined the Uchiha district filled quickly with families. He watched a year pass as if it were seconds.

Ino directed the delivery of flowers to the refrigerator, nodding to the genin squad's sensei as she followed. The Uchiha fan on the wrapping was crumpled as the genin tore the twine and wrapping to put the flowers in the fridge.

Sakura sighed as she carried more door paper down the busy streets, narrowly avoiding a group of new chunin running through the crowded market. She made a vow that next time they needed errands run, they could use Choji's genin squad as cheap labor. She waved as Kiba and Akamaru passed her overhead in the direction of the Hokage Tower, the light momentarily glinting off the badge on his jounin vest. She turned down the road to the Uchiha district, noting with satisfaction the restoration done to the once haunting streets.

Hinata smiled over her glass of tea as Kiba continued to rant about the 'bastard raven' and his long work hours. Neji snorted as Kiba turned on him, a new argument breaking as both turned on one another. Akamaru was at her feet, watching the exchange and egging them on with soft barks. She laughed as her cousin growled at the friendly hug and the exuberant 'Cousin-in-law' cat-call that had Kiba half-draped over the white-eyed boy. The badge on her cousin's chest had gone a long way to ease the animosity between the Hyuuga and the Inuzuka.

Shikamaru barely bothered to move as the presence at his side stirred, a faint 'oh' of understanding that made him crack one eye open barely. The bug perched on Shino's forefinger obviously had something important to say as the bug-master abandoned his place on the grassy knoll and nodded to the shadow-wielder. The badge on his chest glinted as he turned into the sun and teleported. Shikamaru rolled back onto his back and stretched, a small smile playing around his lips.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Kazekage-sama." Tsunade inclined her head at the leader of the small group of Sand shinobi in her office.

"I extend the same regards, Hokage-sama." The teal eyes were blank but there was a very slight relaxation around his shoulders that had not been there previously.

"Please have a seat, Kazekage-sama, and we can discuss the terms of our treaty…" The redhead moved with well-known confidence to the available seat before the Hokage. A patient second later had the Sand shinobi dismissed, all but two leaving. They took posts at the door alongside Leaf shinobi and remained silent.

Shikamaru smiled only a little brighter as he felt the wind stir and another presence at his side. There was a heavy sound as something fell to the ground and then silence. Temari stretched out beside him in the grass, hands resting behind her head in a familiar manner, a small smile on her face as well as she watched the clouds drift by.

"Ten-Ten, Choji!" The puppet master waved as he saw the two jounin standing side by side, watching two genin teams battling an energetic Lee. He sent a broader wave to the Taijutsu master when he paused in the battle to shout about his returning youthful friend.

"Kankuro!" Ten-Ten had moved to hug him, taking great care to hold the blade whip in her hand out of the way. Choji received a hearty pat on the back, before grinning knowingly at the would-be lovers. The badge on the weapon's specialists chest sparkled as he whirled her once, jangling Crow on his back.

Kakashi was silent as he watched the exchange, taking great joy in watching Iruka stumble through the precariously stacked boxes outside the Uchiha manor on the porch. The scarred chunin was yelling at the scarfed genin who had rearranged the boxes of clothing and toys into a fort. A surprised yell went into the air as it toppled under the combined assault of Iruka and Moegi, before thoroughly exasperated commands had the boxes reassembled into the proper groups. Somewhere inside, Sakura was fixing the doors of Iruka's bedroom's balcony which had mysteriously acquired a Kakashi-shaped hole. He chuckled into his book, curled on one of the branches in the Uchiha garden.

A white mane was craftily hidden as he crouched down to peer through the eyehole. He felt the blush darken as he watched creamy tan and white, fleshy bodies splash in the hot springs. Their soft and sweet laughter expressed in breathy giggles. He was torn between watching and scribbling down little notes in the bright orange book in his hand. He was ignorant of pressing closer to the already worn wall and the cry from the male spring beside him made him jump. A flash of orange and blonde sporting a lecherous grin stopped before his hiding spot. He watched in slight fascination as the blonde waited for his prize as a scandalized half-naked Uchiha came stumbling out of the bathhouse looking murderous.

"Naruto!" The air was crackling around the two as the fox stuck out his tongue.

"What? I didn't see anyone else around and you really needed to relax, teme!" A bright flush stole over pale cheeks as the fox turned to run before the Chidori crackling in the raven's fist could touch him. Something caught the reflection of the lightning as the blonde took off, and a badge glinted on the pursuing Uchiha.

"I've warned you about molesting me in the bathhouse, dobe!" An irritated discharge sent the Chidori into the ground and lit the shrub behind which Jiraiya was cowering on fire. He wasn't thinking when he jumped back from the fire and crashed into the wall, bringing it down behind him. Shrieks and screams filled the bathhouse along with pained cries of the foolish Sannin cursing the boys at the top of his voice and pleading excuses.

A hawk circled Konoha before diving down, the scroll attached to its leg flashing in the sun before it glided to the raven's shoulder and stuck out it's leg. Sasuke pulled his attention away from the cowering Naruto, hiding behind the Memorial Stone and to the scroll. He began to read as the hawk took alight and vanished.

"Come on, dobe, we've got a job to do." His fingers flew into a set of complicated seals as he touched two fingers to his badge, causing Naruto's and the other's to glow blue once and then white. He activated a teleportation jutsu and appeared before the entrance of the Hokage's Tower. The blonde behind him, as more people began to arrive. Kiba and Akamaru, Neji, Shino, Ten-Ten. They exchanged a nod with the Uchiha as he led the group up to the Hokage's office.

"Here they are now. Kazekage-sama, may I introduce Konoha's Task Force?" Tsunade seemed to glow with pride, honeyed eyes bright with satisfaction. The Kazekage lifted a non-existent eyebrow and smirked faintly.

"I believe we have already been introduced, Hokage-sama." The Uchiha stood in the center, the fox on his right, the Hyuuga on his left. Ten-ten was on Hyuuga's side, Kiba on Naruto's. Shino stood at the back, silent.

"Gaara!" An excited cry then an armful of tanned blonde. The redhead seemed temporarily overwhelmed before he awkwardly returned the hug and shoved the blonde off with a scowl.

"Naruto." His voice was monotonous but the corner of his lips curled up. Teal eyes met abyssal black. "Uchiha."

"Kazekage-sama." There was a stiff nod, formality and protocol strictly enforced.

"Kazekage-sama, I would be honored if you would allow the Task Force to escort you during your stay in Konoha." Tsunade accepted the nod as compliance before turning to meet black eyes. "Captain Uchiha, your team's newest mission is to provide the Kazekage an escort during his stay here."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." A brief bow was sent to both monarchs.

The party below was quiet. He surveyed the room he was accorded in the Uchiha manor. Apparently, the Hokage Tower was undergoing renovations and his previous room was unavailable. But it didn't bother him. It was all too obvious excuse to place the Rookie Nine, their jounin instructors, Team Gai, and the Sand Siblings in the same house. The party had been neatly executed by the female Rookie Nine who had taken great pleasure in the surprised and annoyed expression on the Uchiha's face as he took in the decorations.

He poured himself another glass of sake as a knock sounded on his door. He absently sent sand to unlock the door and swing it open. The raven-haired Hyuuga stood outside, a plaintive but thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hyuuga."

"Kazekage-sama, may I please be allowed to speak to you?"

He frowned. The Hyuuga wavered in the doorway, waiting for an answer. He fidgeted before looking back up into teal eyes. The redhead allowed him to enter and sipped at the cup of sake. Silence settled over them as the Hyuuga jittered in the doorway, looking more nervous than the white-eyed teen was comfortable being. He felt a glare rise as the other remained oblivious.

"What do you want? And drop the formalities." That seemed to lock the brunette in place. His eyes widened, breath catching for a moment. Then a sharp laugh echoed from the window. Both their eyes were drawn to it as the husky voice of their host melted into sweet, soft pleas. Neji blushed a bit but a smirk settled over his lips.

"I take it you're not too surprised?" Naruto's unmistakable laugh was followed by a sooty fox growl. Their eyes lingered on the window before Gaara's sand pulled it closed and locked it. Their voices muted to barely audible. Neji seemed to embolden a little as he took a seat on the other chair facing the window.

"Not especially. Shukaku could tell long before I was informed."

"Right." The Hyuuga seemed a little off put by that notion. He clasped his hands in a decidedly businesslike manner.

"What did you want?" It was a little irritating to repeat something to someone who should know better. The Hyuuga sighed and looked up at him. White eyes were slightly darker than he remembered. Maybe they matured over time…They were a healthy shade of bright grey and very determined. He was instantly focused on the Hyuuga's movement. Sand twitched as the pale hand moved closer but stayed stationary for the most part.

"Tsunade was talking about sending an envoy back to Suna when you leave. She wants to send a two man squad. I want you to talk her into a three man squad and to add me to the team with Shikamaru and Ten-Ten."

A brow rose. It was impossible to control. He wouldn't have guessed this, though it was no surprise that the Hyuuga was so direct.

"Why?"

The white-eyed raven was quick to parry. "Three man teams are the most efficient. Not to down-play either of them, but Shikamaru is too lazy to be a good diplomat and Ten-Ten doesn't understand most higher protocols. I do. I need to go to Suna with you."

There was silence.

"I'm still unsure why. I have Temari to coach both into good diplomats and I can't afford to take the virtual heir of the Hyuuga clan from Konoha. Why would I bother to cut through all the red tape?"

"Because I need to go with you!" The raven seemed as taken aback by his outcry as he was. "This was stupid. I should have known better. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Kazekage-sama." He bowed and began to back out but a wall of sand encased the room.

"Why did you come here?" Gaara stood and stared into the other's eyes, unflinching. The raven hesitated again and Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Stop dancing around the question."

"I want to go with you."

"Yes, but why? If you don't tell me, I can't make a case. A real reason."

A faint blush stole over his face. He mumbled something and then stooped his shoulders. It was truly mystifying to see this in another person.

"Repeat."

"I think I'm…I think…I…really…like you…" The raven resolutely stared at the sand at his feet. At the silence, his strangled nerves fried. "I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, this was unprofessional. I am truly sorry and I'll do everything I can to ease your inconvenience and humiliation…"

"That's enough."

The sand retracted from around the room and pushed him forward to the redhead. A hand as pale as his rose and touched under his jaw. He had to look up slightly to meet teal eyes. Why hadn't he noticed? Maybe it was a carrier thing…Teal eyes had an unmistakable curious gleam.

"I haven't thought about any of this before." He tilted the pale chin side to side and seemed to concentrate. "Why me?"

A fainter blush stole over the porcelain cheeks and a faint shutter went through him. The redhead could feel the slight shake straight from his fingertips to his spine. "I don't know why. I just do. It just happened. The next thing I knew you were…showing up in my dreams. Ever since we brought the Uchiha home and the Akatsuki were finally gone." He squirmed under the thin fingers that pressed his chin up.

The lips were chapped. All the time spent traveling and the lack of moisture due to the sand causing this. But it was softer than he expected. He felt his body go rigid and then melt gradually as sand pressed him forward. Hands settled on his hips and sand wrapped around them but it wasn't uncomfortable. His mind had supplied pleasant fantasies about that sand. Most of them were amazingly delightful.

The redhead pulled back, a brief expression of surprise but it faded by the time he opened his eyes to see it. There was a scowl on his face, as if he was unhappy with what he was experiencing.

"I'm sorry, Kazekage-sama, I'll leave." He felt his face darken in shame as the redhead let him go. The sand fell away as he left, shutting the door behind him as he went. He passed the room beside Gaara's, hearing whispers and soft laughs. He made it as far as four steps before breaking out in a run and exiting the house.

"Uchiha." Black eyes were brought up from their contemplation of the black mug of coffee.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama?" He stood, bowing slightly.

"I have a request I need to send to the Hokage." He held out a scroll. The raven nodded, taking it and pressing two fingers to the badge on his chest.

"What?! It's barely dawn!" Naruto and Kiba slumped into the kitchen, both sporting frowns and the husky sound to Kiba's voice attesting to his rough night. Sasuke glared at them as the rest of his team filtered in. The rest seemed satisfactory.

"I have an errand." He turned to Shino. "You're in charge of the outing today. Don't let them into the sugar." He jabbed a thumb in the canines' direction. "Don't let her into the caffeine." Ten-Ten looked a little outraged mixed with guilt. "And you, don't let them out of your sight." Neji nodded. "I'll be back soon."

The raven flicked the fox on his way out, which was loudly protested. Blue eyes watched him vanish before turning back to the kitchen with a grin.

"Well, he won't be back today. Unless there's some miracle cure for hangovers and PMS."

The white-eyed raven said nothing. For him, it was a slow suffering. The redhead's rejection the night before was still fresh and it was a little grating to spend the day pretending it never happened. But…he never dealt with rejection well.

"I assure you, Hyuuga-san, nothing could suffer with this transfer. Hinata and Hanabi are both capable, the alliance between the Inuzuka is strong and I have no better diplomat. He will have some of the best protection…"

"We'll miss you, Neji. Good luck." Naruto pulled back, slapping a hand against his back. Shikamaru had already received the same treatment and Ten-Ten was safely secured at Kankuro's side. "Why didn't you say you were leaving with Gaara?"

"He didn't know until today. I found myself in need of someone with a bit more perceiving eyes than what is provided. As unfortunate as it is that you are losing three friends, I assure you it is not in vain." Gaara only scowled slightly as Naruto hugged him too but pushed him away.

"I didn't think you would agree…"

"I found myself curious as to the type of person who can love someone such as myself. It's hard to understand the concept. I find if you are not with me, I'll never understand. I'm not suggesting a relationship and I'm not saying I love you. But I'll give you the chance to convince me otherwise."

-X-

A hand turned the page, aching slightly. He rubbed the wrist, soothing the ache and creating an unpleasant cracking sound. The slight winkles around his eyes and forehead attested to much over his long years. He wiped a hand across his neck, wiping away the sweat. He set the pen down and turned to look out his window. The captain of his Anbu squad coughed slightly.

"I'll get to it, calm down. I've never slacked off before, right?"

There was a snort of amusement and then hand signs had him wrinkling his own face into a smile. He watched the sky and the clouds floating by, his expression turning wistful. His eyes glazed over as he sank back into his memories, ignoring the report on his desk about another new Akatsuki beginning to sprout in the South.

A row of pictures were shaded by the sun's light. The Fourth Hokage smiled at him from the only visible picture on the mantle.

"Rukodaime Hokage-sama?"

"Sir?"

-X-

"Dobe? Naruto?"

He watched as the Suna shinobi and escort left, waiting until they were gone before turning to Sasuke and grinning. He flicked the raven on the nose and squeezed his hands. He pulled the raven after him.

"Let's get something to eat. How about Ichiraku's?"

"Hn. I still need to see Tsunade, dobe."

"She can wait."

He pulled him up, kissing him softly.

"Hn. She can wait."

"Damn right she can."

"Just shut up, Naruto."


	24. Chapter 24

Yo! Okay, there's only one chapter after this, but I'm giving fair warning now. You can end the story at Chapter 23 and live happily ever after, taking comfort in the knowledge that Naruto is Hokage and all is well in the world. However, if you're like me and you want to take things a little further, read on. There will be OCs but they're are not exceedingly important. There will be pairings you will disagree with me on. There will be things that I know ninja would never do but tough. I am very pleased with the direction it takes and if you're not, well, you should just stop at Chapter 23. Enjoy. Oh! Italics divide seperate scenes. Just thought you should know.

XXIV. Black And White Colored Photos

_"Rukodaime Hokage-sama?" _

"Naruto?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Neji's report from Suna just came in."

"Thank you. Place it on the desk." He held the pen in his mouth as he balanced the stack of scrolls in his arms. He tried to move the cabinet door open and keep the pile secured. Sakura smiled as he lumbered around.

"Sure you don't want to see it now? Smells like a wedding…" She waved the report before setting it on his desk and jumping up to sit on it. "Why are you moving so much stuff out of the back room? It's too small to be another office, Naruto."

"Oh, I know." His foxy leer, the one that only Sasuke-esque thoughts could inspire, snaked its way over his face. "That's just the thing…"

She grinned as she helped him move the furnishings into the room.

"You know, Naruto, I'm surprised that you didn't think of this sooner."

He arched his eyebrows and smirked at her. "Yeah well, he caved first. Apparently, the desk gets uncomfortable after the first hundred times…"

_"Rukodaime Hokage-sama?" _

_He placed the photo of a thoroughly debauched raven flipping off the camera from the bright orange futon in the adjoining room down on the mantle. _

"I can't believe this…He's amazing, Hinata."

"Thank you." She was glowing from the aftermath, a bright grin and self-confidence that only Kiba could inspire. Her little son had a dark patch of hair as untamed as his father's.

"What's his name?" Sakura smiled, still sweaty from helping Shizune deliver the Inuzuka heir.

"Shinrai." Kiba sounded husky. Akamaru was beside him, tail waving constantly. "I know it's going to come as a bit of a shock but…we both have people important to us and we couldn't decide on one person. So, Rai's guardians, are Neji and, well, we were hoping you would be honored to be the other, Naruto."

He felt his heart hit his stomach. Sasuke sent an elbow into his side and he recovered. "Of course!"

_"Rokudaime, sir?"_

_A group photo of the shinobi squeezed into Hinata's hospital room. A blonde was smiling from his place beside the new family, in his raven's lap. It was faced down on the mantle._

An ashen faced Shikamaru held a pair of twins in his arms in a Suna hospital. Their dirty blonde tufts of hair glittering in the desert sunlight. Temari was still sleeping. Ten-Ten and Kankuro were laughing and playing with the twins, an oblivious shadow-wielder starting when the door opened.

"How is she?" Neji was soft spoken, a sweaty smile on his face.

"She's fine. Thankfully, it wasn't too premature." Kankuro nodded to his brother's lover and patted Shikamaru on the shoulder. "I'm more worried about the genius here."

"He'll be fine. Just a bit of a shock that they're suddenly here." Ten-Ten gave her stomach a hopeful rub. She was still waiting for her confirmation.

"Gaara." Temari smiled in the twilight-lit room at the redhead. "I want you and Kankuro to be their guardians."

The redhead looked at the children in his sister's arms with shock and fear. They were so small…He looked up at the white-eyed raven and sent him one of those looks. The ones that asked for help without asking. Neji smiled and sat on the bed beside him, taking one of the small newborns into the cradle of his arms.

"You can do it…I know you can." He kissed the love kanji on his forehead before rocking the newborn slowly. Gaara hesitated a moment before he began to sway as well.

_"Hokage-sama?"_

_The picture of the Suna hospital room was placed down._

A white-faced blond paced the hallway outside the room. Sakura came out, shutting the door behind her and turning to face the blonde.

"Will he be okay?"

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, he'll be fine, Ino. Just a bit of poison and shock. He'll be fine so long as you keep him away from seedy sushi bars for a bit."

"Oh thank god!" She stormed into the room. "Choji! How many times have I warned you about that?! What would you do if you had a major accident like this and your genin squad isn't there? I have half a mind to…" The door swung shut behind her.

_A recovered Choji was running from the hospital with a terrified look on his face and an irate Ino trailing behind. Sakura was laughing and Lee looked like he would have went to help but a smiling Sakura kept him at her side. He turned the photo over._

"Sakura…I have no idea how I'll ever thank you enough…You've given me and Sasuke…so much…I can't…" Naruto was holding her tightly, her face still in a big smile.

"I told you not to worry about it…It's totally your bun…I'm just the oven…" She smiled a little deliriously, the drugs and endorphins yet to leave her system. Sasuke was in the bed on her other side, a precious child in his arms. The jet black hair was only a little fainter at his bangs but his eyes were as blue as the blonde's.

"Sakura…" She looked up and met Sasuke's black, glassy eyes.

"Don't. It's the least I could do. We've always been a team, and this is the most I could offer. I love you both…so much…" She drifted off, a small grin on her face. Lee was anxiously cradling her as the blonde disengaged.

"Did you pick a name yet?" Lee asked the room in general. Naruto immediately turned to Sasuke. They had talked about it but he wasn't sure if Sasuke had chosen one.

"Okibi." Sasuke met Naruto's eyes and the fox felt his heart melt. "It means 'Blazing Fire'. I think it'll suit him."

"I pity the jounin who gets stuck with him." Kakashi was holding him up in the air. Very gently, he wasn't ignorant. The child wasn't even afraid, just blankly looking at him. Iruka sucked in a breath, he hadn't even seen the silver-haired scarecrow move to the cradle.

"Kakashi!"

"What?"

"You don't hold him like that!"

"We would be honored if you both would be his guardians." Iruka went pale and his mouth dropped open. Kakashi looked like he'd just been told that Icha Icha Paradise had been cancelled.

In the photo the only ones smiling were the blonde and the baby. The raven was smirking, the brunette was still trapped in his shock, and the pervert had yet to realize that his mask had been pulled down. It, too, was turned face down.

The next was outside Ichiraku's. The big reunion. Small toddlers tottered around the ground. Temari's twins, Nenriki and Ryoku, were trying to get Shinrai to play with Akamaru and Ame. Ten-Ten was cradling her eleventh-month old, Seki, with the girls hovering over her shoulder. Okibi had taken Kakashi's Icha Icha and was scribbling over the pages in crayon, though no one had been aware until Kakashi went to look for his book. The toddler had merely smiled and showed them all his spirals and flames. This too, was turned down.

The next was Okibi's birthday. Then his graduation from the academy. They were at Naruto's swing, loneliness no longer an issue. Okibi was in the swing, Naruto and Sasuke on his either side, hands on his shoulders. The next was Sakura's and Ino's kids, Aozora and Misora. The next was Okibi holding a baby fox. Okibi and his companion fox, Byakko, with their jounin instructor and his genin squad. The passing of the Hokage title. Jiraiya's and Tsunade's retirement. Their funerals. The renewal of the Suna, Konoha, and New Oto Alliance. The retirement of Kakashi. Iruka's last day teaching. Okibi's first hospitalization. Sasuke sleeping in bed at the manor, looking peaceful and happy, even with crow lines around his eyes.

All these were placed down. And then came the death certificates. Much of the Rookie Nine survived. But it was inevitable that someone would die during one of the missions. It had been Choji to go first. Iruka had died next and then Kakashi had never been the same. He stayed, long enough to teach Okibi everything he taught Sasuke, but then he just vanished. His hitai-ate was sent to Konoha along with his mask and a tattered copy of Icha Icha. They buried that by Iruka. His body had never been recovered.

"Rokudaime Hokage-sama?"

"Ah. Yes. Give me a moment to pull the robes on." He waved his Anbu Captain away as he handed the large hat to him. He studied the fire symbol before donning it.

"Sir? If I may speak freely?"

"Go ahead, Hogosha-san."

"Sir, the Fourth Hokage…You look very similar like him…is he?"

"My father. Yes. I never knew him. But he was a good man. Not only for the Kyuubi Incident."

"Your successor…Are you sure that Okibi-sama will be as good a Hokage as you are?" Only slightly surprised, he turned blue eyes on his Captain. Okibi was older than the Captain by only a few years, but there was a vast canyon between their maturities. Not that his Captain was juvenile, but…Okibi grew up as early as his fathers. He was the son of the Uchiha and Uzumaki. The Traitor and the Fox.

"Okibi will not let this village down. He is old enough to guide, strong enough to protect, and young enough to be compassionate. He will be good for Konoha…"

The blonde Rokudaime trailed off. He was staring at the picture of the raven. His raven. His beautiful, beautiful raven…


	25. Chapter 25

Yo! This is the last chapter. Thanks go out to every reviewer, every reader. Thanks for putting up with the confusing chapters and the OCs.

XXV. A Pitch-Black Nightmare, A White Dream

It had been the new Akatsuki. No one had predicted that they would return as strong as they had. They announced themselves by detonating and destroying the Great Naruto Bridge. It seemed like Oto had attacked as a direct challenge to the Hokage. The Anbu sent ahead were found dead. He had no choice. He had to call together his Elite.

The original team had deteriorated. Only Sasuke, Shino and Kiba remained. Neji and Ten-Ten were settled permanently in Suna. He sent Sakura and Konohamaru with them and an Anbu squad. Shino was crucified. Sakura lost all feeling in her left arm and her leg had a permanent limp. Kiba and Akamaru had large scars across their backs, like they had been dissected. Konohamaru developed a permanent aversion to speaking and was mute. His raven, his beautiful raven, was returned near dead, but so alive. The tattoo sun had enveloped his entire body. The thick tanned gold lines remained forever.

They had accomplished the mission though. Akatsuki had remained quiet, even though it seemed like a new cult was forming every so often. It was all dealt with as a joint-mission between the Shinobi countries.

Their children were given the harsh realities when Choji died. It had been poison…Ino had always warned him. Misora and Ino stood proud that day, accepting consolations. He could see the awe in the younger shinobis' eyes when they looked at the proud blonde woman, shedding tears but claiming that she would have nothing less. They had all vowed to fight for Konoha, her defenders died as heroes.

Byakko seemed to be a gift from the gods. Okibi had turned up with him one day, the little white fox in his arms. They bonded and neither father had attempted to pull them apart. They became a flawless team. His genin squad was just as close. They were proud of their son, and they had taken every chance they could to prove it. It seemed like they had spoiled the child.

He was brought up as practically as they had. Once he was old enough to question, he was given honest answers. Everyone he knew treated him as an adult. Even the discriminators.

Old age slowly claimed everyone. Their children grew. The older sensei passed. They aged. Everyone was claimed by time. One after another. Sasuke had been the last to go. He had never adapted to the fox's chakra. He survived well beyond everyone else. He'd even aged beautifully. The soft grey looked good, even the wrinkles and lines were beautiful. The marks of possession were thinner as he grew older. But the bastard could still bite just as well as he had at thirteen.

He'd achieved everything he had wanted to. He was Hokage. He had a family. He had Sasuke. Everything.

"You should be paying attention, kit."

"Sorry, Kyu…Are you afraid?"

"Of what? Death?"

"Yeah…"

"No, of course not. I'm to be reborn. I'll leave this body when you die and enter the Earth's cycle again. I'll return with a single tail and become strong again. It's been this way for as long as I remember. Don't worry about me, kit."

"Should have known better than to worry."

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

"…I was. I thought about everything I was leaving behind. My son, the village. All the threats. I'm terrified to leave them without a defense. But then I had a dream. I remembered everything about my mission and my dreams. I've thought about it and then I decided. I've been ready to pass on since he died, Kyu. I wrote down my autobiography and left it to Okibi to read when I do pass. I'm just ready to see him again."

The ceremony. Okibi looked just like Sasuke in that moment. It cut his heart that the raven couldn't see it as well.

-X-

He was…dreaming. It was white…everywhere. He felt warm, and didn't look back. He walked forward. He wasn't sure how far he traveled before he felt a hand at his waist and a body behind his.

"Hey, dobe. Are you ready to meet my family?" The white opened up. He recognized Itachi first off, because he looked the most like Sasuke. Then there was everyone. His team. The Rookie Nine. Iruka. Kakashi. Team Gai. The Sand Siblings. A host of dark-haired, dark-eyed people standing slightly off. A beautiful woman with a familiar face and a man with a familiar jaw line stood before this group and nodded to him. Another woman, blazing red hair, a familiar cocky grin and cat-green eyes, had perched on a tree branch. She smiled, her face lighting up like a bonus pinball game. He went to move forward but was restrained.

"I need you to tell Okibi how much I love him, how much everyone here loves those left behind. I need you to…wake up. Wake up! Wake up!"

"Dad! Wake up!"

It was white when he came awake.

"Dad! Please stay awake! Please!"

"Okibi…it's okay…You can do it…Be strong enough to do it…Like I know you are…I'm ready now…I saw him…Your dad…He's so beautiful…I saw everyone…Tell them how much we all love them…kay?…You'll do good, Okibi…Love you…Coming, teme…Wait up…" He was whispering. A smiled curved his lips as the chest he had his hands clasped over slowed. Stopped.

-X-

There was white. An orange blur wrapped around him before departing. He thought he heard a foxy chuckle before it vanished. Then a huskier chuckle. Warm arms around his waist. He cupped his hands around that perfect jaw line, kissing back. He pulled away. Met black eyes as warm as coffee. His hands fell to the thin waist, pulling him closer, feeling hands thread into his hair. His beautiful, perfect, damned raven…

"Teme."

"Dobe."

He pulled back, interlocking their hands and waving ahead. His skin was flawless tanned again. His eyes were the brightest blue.

"Let's go home, Sasuke."

They were running. Side by side. Smiles curved around their lips.

"I've been waiting a long time to hear you say that, Naruto."

-X-

Okibi smiled, wiped away his tears and closed his father's eyes. His beloved Hokage. His dad. He looked up to meet Byakko's silver eyes and Shinrai's light lilac eyes.

"Will you be okay, Kibi?"

"Yeah, Rai." He took a deep breath and closed his hand over Shinrai's hand, looking over the peaceful features of his father. He was Hokage now and he was going to make both of his fathers proud. Even though he knew they were already.

-X-

There was a bright, blinding light. Sasuke's hand was warm in his. Then, there was nothing. Not emptiness. Contentment. Like everything he'd ever wanted.

He waved as he saw Iruka and others running to meet him. It was so tranquil here. He saw so many people he recognized. He looked around beyond his immediate bunch of friends. There was Haku, as delicate as he remembered, but he was cradled in thick arms of Zabuza Momochi, smirking with those odd sharp teeth. The Third Hokage was smoking, looking smug. And further away, on the hillside, another blonde, lacking those whiskers but having those sparkling blue eyes. An energy was floating around him, twisting into a towering creature with nine tails. A bright red eye winked at him and dropped to Arashi's level. The fox caressed him and then vanished. The redhead woman from before joining him, cat-green eyes shining. A white-haired pervert throwing an arm around them as they protested. Honey-blonde woman hauling him away by the ear, waving, a smile on her face. Two others were beside her, a younger boy and a handsome man, both unfamiliar to him, though he could guess their identities.

He was overcome. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, nuzzling his neck, and spinning him in the air. Sasuke hit him lightly over the head, protesting. He laughed. He didn't care. Sasuke gave up after another long kiss. Wolf whistles went up along with catcalls. He didn't care. It'd take more than that to break them apart now. He flipped them off as he pushed Sasuke into the bedroom. He wasn't sure where found the room. Hell, he wasn't sure where they found the damn house. He did know though that they weren't going to be leaving any time soon. Now, if he could only figure out how to get Sasuke's clothes off without breaking them apart he'd be set. He smirked as he made the appropriate hand signs. Sasuke's dark clothes vanished with a gasp. At least that pervert Sannin had been good for something…

_"N-Naruto!"_

* * *

Here's a translation of all the OC's names.

Shinkan - Silence

Ame - Rain

Aozora - Blue Sky

Misora - Beautiful Sky

Okibi - Blazing Fire

Byakko - White Fox

Seki - Gate

Hogosha - Protector

Ryoku - Strength

Nenriki - Faith

Shinrai - Confidence

Thank you, everyone. I really enjoyed writing this story and I'm happy so many people liked it. "Ja'ne!" -St. MySoul


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